21st Faith

21st
Faith
Creatives’ Exhibition
and Research
showcasing 32 creative
projects questioning
and investigating Faith,
as a human feeling,
for the 21st century.
Presenting the Work of:
Anna Baumgart, Madeleine Duflot
& Koa Pham, Deji Feyistan, Chantal Gagnon,
Edward Green, William Green,
Alexandra Gribaudi & Theodore Plytas,
Simeron Kaler, Rebecca Lardeur,
Nicole Leblanc, Leshan Li, Nico Limo,
Subject, Sam McDermott & Nik Rawlings,
Grace McLoughlin, Abi Moffat, Iara Monaco,
Kelly Randall, The Recollector, Tess Rees,
Jasmine Schofield, Louis Schreyer,
Nicolee Tsin, Kevin Uchiha, Goodness Victor,
Nina Vukadin, Patrick Walker, Sandy Wang,
Larry Frederick Alan James Bizby-Weir,
Henry Yang, Leda Yang, and Yusta.

Printed in 2018 in London
Designer: Rebecca Lardeur
Photography: Anna Baumgart, Theodore Plytas, Ella Fallows, Rebecca Lardeur,
Jasmine Schofield, Subject, Yusta and Patrick Walker
Font set in Monserrat (Google)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
International License.

A thousand
thank yous,
Thank you to all our financial contributors, for making
this project a reality and believing in us.
Monia Al-Haidary, Baboosha Paris, Alison Dawson,
Andy Dawson, Martine Duflot, Dubois - Delibrias,
Deborah Ford & Maurizio Gribaudi, Anne & Michel Franck,
Stephanie Halna du Fretay, JMD, Catherine Lardeur,
Lardeur Ventayol, Ganesha Lockhart, Hapax Legomenon,
Ly, Amber Perng, Chris Plytas, Nicolas Raffin, Claire Randall,
Laurence Rousseau, Peter Schreyer, Jack Smith,
Heloise Ungless and all those who wanted
to remain anonymous.
Thank you to the team who built 21st Faith from scratch.
Rebecca Lardeur, creator and designer of the project,
Ella Fallows, manager of the program and workshops,
Madeleine Valcour, for her help in the exhibition design,
Alexandra Gribaudi and Theodore Plytas, for their expertise
and technical help in the building of the show.
Thank you to The Workshop, Lambeth, for hosting us.
And thank you to all the participants, for taking the time
for this non-profit research collaborative project and
contributing their time and money.
This project owes you all its success.

Index
Foreword
What is Faith in the 21st Century?
Opening Night Photos
Artists Talk Transcript
Artists Works and Interviews
Concluding Panel
Behind the Scenes
p. 9
p. 11-16
p. 17-21
p. 23-32
p. 35-105
p. 107-109
p. 111-113

Foreword,
21st Faith started out of a desire to reposition and redefine
the relationship between Faith and my generation. It felt to
me there is a misunderstanding between what we are told
and what we feel; the possibilities of Faith being hidden
behind centuries of dogmas.
I observed a gap between the dictionary definition of Faith
and its etymological origin, a narrowing of its meaning
seemed to have taken place. Over a period of a few months,
I discussed this with other young creatives throughout
London, and it became obvious that I was not alone
in my desire to question what Faith can and could be.
Each of the participants first asked the question ‘What is Faith
for the 21st century’ within their own perspectives, and their
research and work culminated in 32 distinct creative projects.
Coming together for this show allowed all of us to grasp
the wider significance of Faith so often interpreted mainly
within a theological framework.
This publication presents our findings: an essay co-written
by Edward Green and myself, a transcript of the Artists Talk
held at the exhibition, images of the show and texts written
by each participants about their pieces followed
by their interviews.
We hope this opens a new perspective on Faith
for our readers,
Rebecca.
9

What is Faith in
the 21st Century?
by Edward Green
and Rebecca Lardeur.
Introduction
The purpose of this essay is not simply an investigative or explanatory one,
the purpose of this essay is strictly teleological: to redefine Faith within the 21st
Century. This was the goal and brief each participant was given at the beginning
of this collaborative research project: What is Faith in the 21st century?
35 projects were undertaken for 21st Faith, each presented a wide variety of viewpoints
and understandings on the subject of faith. This essay aims to summarise the individual
findings and analyse their art pieces alongside various definitions of ‘faith’.
The participants are mostly comprised of young, creative-thinkers from a diverse
range of backgrounds. Each participant chose to approach the brief with a different
outlook and through a different medium, which culminated in a healthy, varied range
of responses.
To create a common ground for the understanding of Faith in our research
we looked at the etymology of the word ‘Fides’, established 3,500 years before year
0 in the Indo-European language. Fides, in its Latin origins, means ‘to command,
to persuade, to trust’. This, to us, implied a well-rounded, inclusive ‘feeling of Faith’,
which resonated well within our contemporary context. It denoted Faith to be
something felt, almost intrinsically, within the person themselves; a phenomenology
of being. Faith is not something that can wholly be theorised in books and dogmas.
Faith is, this paper argues, not only related to theology.
This essay will repurpose the word of Faith as such throughout its development.
First, a definition for a new understanding of Faith is developed according to the
common themes presented at 21st Faith. Secondly, the social aspects of Faith will
be investigated to understand where Faith is expressed. The third will research the
positive aspects of Faith before concluding on the challenges Faith can bring to the
society of today.
11

Faith for the 21st Century
The 21st Faith projects researched Faith as understood by its etymological viewpoint
(‘Fides’, defined as ‘to command, to persuade, to trust). This led most of the participants
to view Faith as a feeling. Therefore, from an etymological point of view, one could
be expected to question their emotions on questions of faith: where could one be
persuaded? Where does one feel commanded? Where could one find trust?
If Faith relies on emotions, then Faith may be first instinctively interpreted
individually through an emotional level. To understand Faith for the 21st Century,
one may investigate the influence of Faith on the individual. What does Faith inspire?
What does Faith bring? This paper will argue that, in the 21st Century, Faith drives
actions; Faith becomes identity, and Faith can evolve into truth.
Faith defines actions; Faith drives actions. This theme is a key finding of our project.
Feeling the raw power of Faith in the everyday, in purpose and desire, was investigated
several times during 21st Faith with one project using it as its main concept.
Alexandra and Theodore’s thought-provoking piece asked the question: ‘How
significant is Faith’s drive to motivate us in our work?’ Together, they used the brief
to test their own Faith in the creative process. They used it to challenge their practice,
focused on time and surface. See 21 , p. 80-83.
What are the motivations behind actions? Do beliefs define the individual? How
much can one achieve with the support of Faith?
Faith can be harnessed to reach goals, going further than the expectations
anticipated and help the individual and/or collective to have faith the action has
purpose.
Faith merges with identity; Faith can be heard as a call from within. The relation of faith
to identity highlights how Faith can give courage and drive. Faith can be derived from
an identity, as identity can be derived from Faith. However, with a new generation
of people facing a faith-less pursuit of false identities in the 21st Century, how can we
be sure of Faith’s significance, and indeed its existence, in a new world of identities.
Kevin questioned his own Faith in the anime culture and what the myths
and narratives of anime brought him. Anime is considered a source of inspiration
to Kevin, becoming a driving force to face his fears, to believe in the unbelievable,
and to move forward at any costs. In this sense, Kevin found Faith within an identity;
he felt an emotive response from a cultural set of values and used those values of said
identity to motivate him in everyday life. See 7 , p. 50-51.
Which identity can you create a bond with? How can Faith lay the path to a fulfilled
identity? How can Faith help the identity grow?
Myths, if understood as a collective knowledge stored in stories, help to guide the
individual in understanding their position in life.
Faith becomes truth; Faith as a moral compass. If what an individual believes in has
the power to create the reality in which they experience the world, then Faith creates
a bond between the person and their way of making meaning out of the world. To
change the myth is to change the reality, because reality is malleable through stories.
Grace’s piece investigates ancient knowledge to find the truth she feels,
understanding faith as plural to invite compassion, especially in the women’s bodies.
Ancient knowledge of the body can be merged with current views, adapted to fit
today’s narrative, so as to embrace the past to reshape the future. See 1 , p. 36-37.
What knowledge do you choose to believe in? What defines right and wrong?
Does knowledge shape reality?
If Faith becomes knowledge, then Faith shapes the world surrounding
the individual.

Before continuing the exploration of the 21st Century’s perception of Faith,
and the differing artists’ responses to the question, we will briefly define Faith
as we are using it:
Faith is not a word directly linked to theology or religious practices. It is a word used
to describe our investment in certain practices and actions, emotional and physical,
which shape our identities and lives.
Faith and Social Dynamics
During 21st Faith, a keen interest in researching the cultural aspects of Faith
was expressed by many participants. This gave a layer to the understanding of Faith
as a collective phenomenon. Faith, when exhibited within a collective, needs to be
organised, often with a set of myths, narratives, artefacts and rituals behind it. When
the organisation becomes easy to share and interpret, those collective Faiths can be
referred to as a ‘beliefs system’. The beliefs systems are behind many cultural habits.
Is it an independent choice to decide what to have Faith in? How is Faith shared?
How does Faith influence the social sphere?
What seems common in the social aspects of Faith is its desire to answer
the existential questions of why love, joy, pain and death exist, and to find solace
in the need of feeling loved and to belong. This section will investigate Faith
as a binding contract, Faith as common goals and ideals, and Faith as a way
for the individual to belong within the collective.
Faith unites societies; Faith creates collective bonds. Through collective stories,
different Faiths help to relate themselves to one and other, giving a sense of belonging
and importance to those who understand them within their communities. Faith links
people from differing social backgrounds by a common belief.
Yusta’s project explores the death memorials left in the secular city;
their ephemeral aspects filled with hope and unity crossing multicultural Faiths.
Those memorials are often for the humans, not for Gods. The existential question
of death humans have asked about for thousands of years have not yet disappeared
and Yusta highlights their possibilities. See 6 , p. 46-49.
How can faith make sense of these existential questions? Can faith be the binding
link of communities?
The collective understanding of those existential questions relating to love, purpose
and death will help create new societies for the 21st century.
Faith is shared; Faith expresses itself through common goals and ideals. Faith
creates connections between communities and individuals, but how? Different
Faiths, at their core, are often similarly comprised of people who want to be heard.
Rituals, organised meetings and the re-telling of stories illustrate how Faith can
be used to connect people.
Through the investigation of rituals surrounding Christmas, Kelly highlights the
influence of food within the relationships of the individual to families and communities.
Food becomes a shared ritual. Kelly questions the role of the cook, the ingredients
and the presentation of such rituals. How does one respond to artefacts of tradition,
as opposed to tradition itself? See 22 , p. 84-85.
What is the outlet of Faith? How is Faith materially shared within closed
relationships? How is Faith materially shared to the broader communities?
By sharing rituals with the collective, individuals connect to one another
and develops identities.
13

Faith is a bridge; Faith plays on the individual and collective to merge. Faith may be
collective but is also relative to the individual’s perspective. Therefore Faith can be first
questioned from an interpersonal understanding.
Anna’s performance investigates this bridge. Through the example of clothes,
Anna plays with the individual shape left on similar looking clothes, the individual
is seen through the collective. Anna creates a mesmerising performance of such
phenomenon. See 20 , p. 78-79.
How does one subjectively interpret the collective Faith? What are the common
grounds for the individual to fit in the collective?
Understanding the individual’s role in the collective when it comes to Faith, is key
to shaping a new Faith for the 21st century.
Faith within social dynamics helps the individual to cope with the existential questions
of humanity, through rituals and shared acts that outwardly manifest collective
knowledge. Furthermore this helps in the creation of social identities (community,
subcultures, nations) and social bonds. Faith develops common goals and ideals,
allowing the individual to establish him or herself within the collective.
Faith’s Gifts
Historically, theological Faith has had a significant and powerful impact on creating
communities all over the world. Faith, over time, has always had a ‘uniting factor’
to its definition, though it has not always been an inclusive one.
In the 21st Century, it seems as though the definition of Faith has shifted more
towards a personal journey, one bereft of the theological ‘uniting’ of peoples.
The projects presented at 21st Faith reflect this idea. This brings questions on the role
of Faith within communities and the social sphere.
Although Faith has also led to many wars and discriminations in history, this section
focuses on the positive aspects brought by Faith while the next will research
the challenges brought by Faith. This section investigates how Faith can drive a vision
to be achieved, the influence of Faith on trust and Faith as a catalyst for compassion.
Faith focuses on a vision; Faith becomes a purpose in life. Once a belief becomes
so important that the individual holds it as an absolute truth, then this precise faith
becomes a goal, a purpose and will lead the individual towards the direction of his
or her dream.
Madeleine and Koa’s piece is driven by a desire to create an emotional bond
with furniture. To do so, they explored their own emotional bonds and translated it
into a piece of furniture to physically communicate their own Faith, developing
a modular piece to adapt to the individual’s faith. See 26 , p.92-93.
What can Faith do to help develop one’s vision? How is Faith expressed in
the material world? What can the material world bring to Faith?
Artifacts developed with Faith can help materialise a goal, springing from
the personal to end with the collective. When it comes to creatives, Faith becomes
an ideal to pursue.
Faith establishes trust; Faith creates the ground to relate to one another. When Faith is
openly shared and agreed upon, it activates a relationship of trust between individuals.
This relationship of trust develops to identifying with communities and the social
contracts based on shared goals and beliefs are discreetly settled.
Nicole’s project takes on a journalistic take and investigates the building of Faiths
in the Bahamas, where she was born. Nicole investigates the relationship of an official
religion and how this implements in the daily life. See 5 , p. 44-45.
Where is Faith exteriorised? How does Faith bind communities?

Symbols of Faith being spread around communities act as a reminder of trust within
the members of such communities, taking the role of a pillar of culture.
Faith springs compassion; Faith helps relate to one another. Through having Faith, one
often finds a path towards compassion supported by trust. Compassion can blossom
from an empathetic outlook, where one begins to see the perspective of another.
Trust then creates the necessary ground finding common interests in their Faiths.
Simeron’s project is guided by a desire to find self-acceptance by discovering
another’s path, highlighting how Faith can spring compassion by understanding
and following the path of another. See 2 , p. 38-39.
What is the role of Faith in compassion? Can Faith help bridge the gap of the ones
feeling left behind?
The compassion brought by Faith has the power to ease the pain brought upon by
connecting the pain felt with another’s, growing organically.
Faith is powerful as it becomes a purpose, develops trust and compassion. Faith is
often at the core of human relationships and interactions, so Faith in the 21st century
can become a tool for diplomacy.
Challenging Faith
Although Faith can become the diplomacy tool helping humanity to connect to each
other and give answer to the existential questions of humanity, Faith, as every tool
has, is not naturally good or bad. It is the human using Faith that creates a good or
bad framework (although good and bad should also be questioned on how these are
defined). This require the human to always be slightly critical of the Faith he or she
follows.
Faith is always evolving; Faith should not be perceived as fixed. Time has seen many
diverse authorities of Faith taking over each other, such as the animistic religions,
the polytheistic ones and the monotheists. They have evolved with time and often each
evolution takes a little from its past. The similarities between animistic and polytheistic,
polytheistic and monotheist are easy to find. The evolution of Faith seems natural
and so do its morals.
Because Faith naturally evolves, it is necessary to always question the current ones
if one wants to understand the Faith of tomorrow. Louis’ project question what he calls
the Gods of Capitalism, to develop a new Faith more accurate to the needs of today.
See 13 , p. 62-65.
Should the past be listened to blindly? Can the current Faith be believed in
without doubt?
Faith affects our decision-making and therefore it is needed to question what
we are told to do – is it correct to tell us to buy to be happy? Where is this Faith
coming from? Who does it serve?
Faith changes its morals; Faith mirrors the current socio-political dilemmas.
When questioning the morals of the current times, understanding past morals gives
perspective to the dilemmas met throughout time by humanity. The question of death
is what we can call an existential question asked by each generations known to written
history. Although it seems in the 21st century those past morals are often disregarded,
what does this mean for our current social dilemmas?
Edward’s project echoes the past myths to the reality of today, with the example
of Ovid’s Echo and Narcissus. To investigate the social phenomenon of selfies, Edward
questions the viewer on the validity of ancient wisdom and questions the modern take
on narcissism. See 17 , p.72-73.
15

Has the ancient myths still hold answers to the existential questions?
Can we disregard thousands of years of wisdom put into the myths?
Faith has had a history of giving morals to those who followed religious Faiths,
answering social dilemmas of current affairs. Faith through myths and stories help
the individual grasp the problem faced by many, but who do these myths serve?
Which myths are still accurate? Critical outlook on those myths and updating them
to the present is needed when tackling blind Faith.
Faith infiltrates; Faith’s structure influences our relationships and lives. How faith
is designed and physically represented within the collective has an impact on
the individual’s life. Those boundaries intrude in the morals of the individual.
Investigating the building of Faith, Leshan questions how the design of the religious
space influence the human experience of his own personal space, destructing
and reconstructing humans relationships and boundaries. See 24 , p. 88-89.
What is the influence of Faith on space? What is the influence of such space?
When the design of Faith is developed by humans, this will act as a catalyser
for behaviours to adapt to it. The design of Faith brings a responsibility to the designer
or artist to question the morals it gives to the community using such building.
Because of the power Faith imposes us, creatives are required to be critical of the Faith
they themselves chose to believe in. Because Faith is always changing its evolution and
new myths and morals should be ethically questioned. The past can teach the present
but one should be aware to not blindly go back in the past but instead learn from
the past to construct a new future.
Conclusion
21st Faith began asking the question ‘What is Faith in the 21st Century?’. Analysing
and synthesising the projects created for the exhibition, we discovered different
qualities and sides to Faith. Faith offers drive, identity, and truth and therefore plays an
important role in the shaping of human experience. Faith, when organised, can create
strong social bonds, lead to new visions and bring trust and compassion. Faith evolves
constantly, mirroring current socio-political dilemmas and influencing individuals’
reactions to the outside world.
The traditional structure of Faith has seemed to have shifted in the 21st Century. Faith
is plural in its outlet, but universal in its form. At 21st Faith, there were diverse interests
and perspectives brought to discussion and yet they all stemmed from the same desire
to follow one’s set of beliefs.
This project has led us to believe that Faith is as strong as ever. Although it seems that
fewer and fewer individuals choose to follow established religions and their dogmas,
we feel that 21st Faith brings the argument that Faith remains one of the most
important questions, and also feelings, of the 21st Century.

Opening Night
20/10/2017,

19

21

Artists Talk Transcript
22/10/2017,
The Artists from 21st Faith share
the ideas behind their work
and discuss the theme of Faith
in the 21st Century.
Discussion led by Ella Fallows.
[everyone takes sit on Madeleine and Koa’s piece]
Ella:
Nina:
Welcome to the talk we wanted to put together for
the last day of this exhibition. We are going to kick off with
Nina’s spoken word piece.
My piece are the flags over there. I wrote this in a sort of
meltdown mood in Serbia, but it fits to what Faith might be.
Faith is a very strange concept for this day and age
It doesn’t seem to fit in.
It’s difficult to explained, difficult to rationalise.
Something you believe in.
So personal, so subjective.
Personal and subjective.
Words we don’t seem to hear or value from the authorities above.
So instead of rationalising it,
I am going to approach it from a personal perspective,
And it won’t be the same for everyone,
So don’t take it too seriously.
What do I believe in?
For me, faith is a belief,
A drive behind a belief,
Belief as an experience,
Maybe that is Faith?
23

But what do I believe in?
I believe in change,
Cities fall, systems fall,
But actually everything is replaced with a similar mechanism,
A human mechanism.
We only see the world from our human perspective,
So what change am I talking about?
The change from within,
That you can’t see,
That you don’t hear about,
The change of mood,
The change of feel,
The change of mood when entering an unfamiliar place.
A happy change,
A surprising change,
An uncomfortable change,
A panic.
A change of feel,
When the weather changes from sunny to grey.
Wishing you had stay inside,
Wishing you took the shorter route,
Wishing you had seen that puddle,
Wishing you hadn’t been on the street,
Walking in cities show me these changes,
How time and behaviour can alter spaces,
The streets give me hope
That the rationalise has not taken over,
That there is things out of control.
So bizarre,
So irrational,
Difficult to describe,
Easy to feel.
Walking in cities,
Perhaps that is my Faith.
[claps]

Ella:
Rebecca:
Thank you so much for performing that. Rebecca is the
curator of 21st Faith.
Hi. So the idea for today was to have a conversation and
bounce ideas with each other, as this was a project where
everyone did personal research on the aspect of Faith, and
what it meant to them. The goal [today] is to see what
connects, what doesn’t connect, what are the limits,
what are the possibilities… So, don’t hesitate, please,
I want to hear everyone saying one sentence.
It would make me very happy.
[ambient noise]
[Ella introduces artist Iara Monaco]
Iara:
So, when Rebecca first started talking about this project
she told me her initial inspiration which was how Faith
used to be a uniting form in a community, it was what
gathered people together and helped make improvements
in the community. That didn’t resonate with me until I went
to Bangladesh, for three months, and volunteered there.
We had to go to these different communities and we went
[and asked] them what challenges do you face, what can
be improved in your community and always asked what’s
the best thing about your community. They would all say
the best thing about our community is unity. They lived in
a collectivist society, where you wouldn’t see a homeless
person in the street, because there would always be
somebody to bring you in, and give you a home, take care
of you, and make you feel part of a family. So that made me
wonder, what can unite us as a whole? How can we combat
things like climate change when there are still climate
change deniers? How can we combat poverty when there
are people who profit from it? So then, I found out about
the Sustainable Development Goals which is this really big
fancy word for something extremely simple: there are
17 goals that the United Nations, a hundred and something
countries, come together to discuss: ok so what 17 goals
do we need, as a whole, the whole world, every country,
to make the world better? To create a sustainable future
25

that we can co-create by 2030. So I thought this sounds
like a good start.
[claps]
[Ella introduces artist’s Alexandra Gribaudi and Theodore Plytas]
Theodore:
Alexandra:
Theodore:
Alexandra:
Theodore:
Alexandra:
I guess our piece is about making, and how we find faith
in making and persevering for my part.
Yes, we were like let’s have a challenge for ourselves just to
show how much faith there is in making, and how when you
do art you really have to have faith in your process, and have
an idea and be like ‘ok let’s do it’ so we started with the idea
of making a hundred sculptures and a hundred photograms
and then we just went with it.
Alex comes from a Fine Arts background, which is more
sculptural, and I come from a more photography background
which is, I guess, simpler in a 2D way. We wanted to make
a piece that would merge both sculptural and photography.
We’ve been working together for a year now, and it is strange
when you’re coming from different sides, although you have
very similar ideas and interests and it comes naturally
to work together. And we thought this project was a perfect
way of really establishing and opening both of our practices
to each other.
When you have faith in something you have to sacrifice other
things and when you work together you realise that nothing
is going to never end up like you wanted to be and you have
to find a middle ground.
And I guess we are in a relationship, so, we have to sacrifice
to be together, and that is what life is about.
[laughs]
Grace:
Theodore:
There is something about the scale of the work as well,
you were talking about the process as being one that
had faith, that faith was entangled in it, and I think because
there are a hundred pieces, you did clearly put your faith
to the test and you were really pushing yourself to the point
where maybe you tested your faith in the project? As I feel
like with every creative process, if the project is 6 weeks,
6 months, 6 years, you have this constant existential crises
from the beginning to end, [laughs], and I think it is
interesting to talk about your personal creative process
as one that whether faith was in the work or you two as
a collaborative team or just the idea. I think it is important
to make those things sacred as they’re hugely important
to you as individuals and the processes. You can really tell
that the process itself was quite testing. Because there are
a hundred, it almost feels like a big journey.
It felt like that too.

[laughs, claps]
[Kevin Uchiha is selected to be the next one to speak]
Kevin:
Theodore:
Kevin:
Ella:
Kevin:
Ella:
To go back on this piece in particular, I think what I enjoyed
was the documentation of evolution, it is the evolved process
of the shards of metal I am looking more at the correlation
of the shape with regards to certain things that I can pick out
from, but I do not know to what extent it was intentional
and to what extent the shape would effect the final outcome
at the very end.
Thank you.
With Faith to my take, as a concept, it is important. I think
it comes in very different shapes and sizes, the most typical
form of Faith amongst humanity is actually only found
amongst the very precipice of defeat, so I think we only refer
to faith as a tool when you have nowhere else to go.
[Do] you think faith is a tool that should be used when
people are very low and seeking it Or used when you are
happy as well? As in it should not be used as like a panic
button like ‘oh I’m going to find something to believe in
because I am in a bad place?’ People should use faith a…
Yes, with the best methodology to it. Especially with regards,
let’s say technology being a huge variable today I think the
inherit faith, the trust that is expected amongst corporate
companies that we put into, let’s say Apple for example, you
are trusting your bank account that tells you stuff, in a way
it is evolving that we like it or not.
I think this exhibition shows how varied the opinions
and ideas surround one word. Grace you want to talk about
your work? It would be interesting to hear as yours has
something quite different to what we’ve talked about
in terms of nature.
[Ella introduces artist Grace McLoughlin]
27

Grace:
Ella:
Grace:
I am interested in the place of the body in traditional belief
systems, particularly what happens when we think about
the body and how it is represented in one of the oldest belief
systems. You guys [Alex and Theo] are collaborating and
you were talking about a sense of community, and I think
that faith has been a very divisive thing as long as it existed.
I think one of the reasons that has happened is because
the major world religions are one of the monotheistic
ones. So it sort of establishes this narrative where it is like
you believe in this one thing, and that one thing is
this thing we think is important. Any systems which regards
this one thing immediately establishes this hierarchy where
if you do not agree with that then you’re lesser. I think when
we are talking about fostering communities and being
sensitive and creative and joyful, it is better to talk about
polytheistic belief systems. If everyone thinks about things
in a linear way, we can’t talk about interconnectedness
and making waves in communities rather than separate
groups so everyone joining together and having fun,
making things together…
And sharing.
And interacting with each other. So yes that is why
I’ve included water as it was about fluidity and fusion.
The dissolution of these old ideas to create a new slimy
sticky thing.
[laughs]
[Ella introduces artist Yusta]
Yusta:
My piece is the pavement over there. It is about memorials
people make in the streets. There is this new way of dealing
with death but not related the traditional sense like
a graveyard which is almost always related to religion but
in this totally anonymous place that is the street. So for the
people who put it these memorials there it is extremely
personal, but then for the passer-by it does not really mean
anything to them. It reminds them of death in a more general
sense, and then with all these things there are there for
a time and then eventually they disappear. They can’t be
permanent. And if they were permanent they would be
everywhere. We couldn’t deal with that, so it almost works
in a way that they disappear with time. But then who takes
them away? Eventually the council will come and will take
it away, so how long do you decide a memorial should be
there for? It is a difficult question and although we talked
about faith and how it has moved away from religion, I think
in a lot of ways there are actually basing it off the framework
of religion. We still believe, even if you are not religious,
you sort of believe in an after-life, or your material success,
your legacy, is a new version of that. But it is basically based
on the same sort of ideas. In a way I do not think we have
quite yet find something to replace faith in the religious
sense. We are kind of moving it into something else
but slowly.

Grace:
Yusta:
Nina:
I think that is interesting to say in terms of we’ve moved
away from the faith in the religious sense. I think people are,
whether it’s happening more or, moving away from faith
in the religious sense and moving towards in a more spiritual
sense and everyone has their own faith systems or belief
systems that they can create themselves and it is less
structured because ‘I referred to this book’ and this told
me how to behave.
But then faith only works, I feel, as a collective thing, when
a large group of people believe in something together even
if it is not religious, because it dictates the way things run
on a whole, in a larger community, like in society.
People need to have some sort of similar ideas for it to work.
If everyone had a different set of faiths and morality
it clashes a little bit.
I do not think we are actually moving away from religion.
I think London is a bit of a liberal bubble, but I think it is
actually there is a huge rise of religion pretty much
everywhere in the world. Especially when I went back home
I forgot religion existed in London, and I had a bit of a slap
in the face, that it definitely still exists. And it is strong.
Doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
[ambient noise]
Theodore:
Rebecca:
Alexandra:
Nina:
It is quite interesting that faith is so primitive that we’ve
always had faith in something, whether that it is fire
or something but then now it has become so boxed,
in a way. So you were saying faith rhymes with religion, in
fact faith can be something very abstract that you do on a
daily basis that keeps you going. And I feel like we’ve all
explored that quite well here.
My grandad was very religious, and I think that faith
is bigger than religion, and over the past two thousand
years with the monotheistic religion that came in,
we focused on our understanding of it and we, instead
of broadening it we did the opposite, where monotheistic
religion were the one to put the humans first, forgot
about nature.
I feel that sometimes we miss certain rituals and moments
where we can, just be within, out of our life, and think a little
bit bigger than our own selves. And maybe that is why there
is a return to spirituality. We are looking for something
that maybe our phones, our ways of life isn’t giving to us,
you know?
My grandma actually had a funny comment. She always
claimed to be religious and I asked her ‘well grandma why
don’t you go to the Church, why don’t we do more rituals?
She was like ‘Nina, only the sinners go to the Church.’
She was serious there.
[laughs]
29

[Ella introduces artist Louis Schreyer]
Louis:
I was thinking about faith and how religion used to control
us in a way using fear and faith. Faith used to define our
future, because having faith you can live your everyday
life with a positive direction and when religion kind of lost
power and governments took over. Therefore our behavior,
our everyday is also directed by money. That capitalistic
realism that we take these processes, those values behind
capitalism, and they become our behavior. So rather than
loving our next, or something, that would be a religious
doctrine and now doctrines are to profit from each other.
So I wanted to see how visual language can do this.
These posters are in our everyday visions and they are kind
of visual noise that we have. We have to deal with something
we didn’t choose, and that has a very big subconscious
impact on us and our future. They create our future.
[claps]
Ella:
Louis:
How did you take these ads? I really wanted to know.
There are different ways getting them.
[laughs]
Louis:
On the Piccadilly line, you can slide them out of the top,
because there is a slit, and on the other lines you kind
of need to put them on the side and put them out,
they are really sharp.
[laughs]
Alexandra:
Louis:
How do you choose them?
Well the project started off with a project in Israel actually.
I started taking them down for that exhibition, and that
was about language and how information is based
on the transmitter and receiver so if I say something with
an intention you might get that intention but you will
interpret it based on your experiences and your knowledge

and so, I was wondering if I show these to people in Israel
will they interpret them differently to us? So some that said
‘working on the weekends’, ‘share with your neighbours’,
or the one on the top left was ‘invest in brick and water’
so everything was around that conflict.
Alexandra:
Yusta:
Theodore:
Rebecca:
Louis:
Alexandra:
Yes that is funny because when you read them there is lot of
positivity coming out but it is like when you know it is an ad
then all that positivity is just fake. It is a big paradox.
A lot of it is creating your identity based on the product that
you buy. There is that one, travel insurance, or life insurance,
an insurance that lets you keep your sense of adventure
or something like that. As if you buy all the rights bits and
bobs you can curate that version of yourself that is better.
It is still making me think of religion as instead of focusing
on an after life, and you’ve worked all your life so in the after
life you will be rewarded in whatever way. It is like,
now you work all your life so that you will be remembered
in whatever way. Creating your legacy based on products
and things.
So what you have makes you who you are.
And the graveyard is always a funny place to go to when
you see who decorates it and who doesn’t. When you go to
countryside and to the home town’s graveyards, you always
have the ones which are three meters tall two meters wide,
who was like photography embedded in a special kind.
Next to it you have the ones with two words on it,
then you also have the ones that have a lot of ‘to my beloved
daughter’ ‘to my beloved ones’ and there are ten of them.
Depending on who it is, as when you go to the military ones
it is a lot more taking - the same grave over and over
duplicated. When you go to the ones that are more
community based and everyone did their own thing,
you get an idea on their persona.
In the end, the one grave that matters the most the one
where the candle is burning. No matter how many pictures.
All the flowers are still new and…
[conversation keeps going, laughs]
Alexandra:
Rebecca:
Would you like to talk about your piece Rebecca?
Yes I haven’t actually. For my piece I really focused on the
idea of action and how your personal faiths, not plural faiths,
can be non religious. All human minds tend to be focused
on something and take for granted without questioning,
so when you’ve accepted that ten persons told you that red
was nicer on your skin, you just keep on putting red.
The project plays with this Faith to change the action
in itself. So my piece is actually for my mum, who doesn’t
recycle, when I’m there we recycle but I know very well
that as soon as I’m gone they stopped recycling.
My mum would always say ‘my personal impact will not
31

change the planet’ but yes, change is supposed to come
from yourself first. You can’t ask anyone to change if you
don’t change yourself. was playing on it and I was looking for
a way for everyone to do a little thing and that to become
a bigger piece. My mum started recycling since the past
three weeks. I’ve won my battle! My mum recycles.
The amount of waste we produce is huge. So I knew this was
a tool we could use, a material everyone would have at the
private view, so I played with that, and today we can paint
on it. The idea is to show the end result that was everyone
taking their time to do a little thing, and how that little thing
actually becomes something bigger and it is to play on the
personal impact and play on your faith and stop thinking that
personal action doesn’t have an impact on the collective.
They do. They do big time.
[claps]
Ella:
Rebecca:
Thank you to everyone for coming. Thanks to Rebecca
for putting on the show.
Thank you to everyone. No one person could have make this
a reality, it is a personal action creates a collective outcome.
[claps - end of transcript]

33

Artists Works
and Interviews,
1
Grace McLoughlin
21
Alexandra Gribaudi
2
Simeron Kaler
& Theodore Plytas
3
Goodness Victor
22
Kelly Randall
4
Henry Yang
23
The Recollector
5
Nicole Leblanc
24
Leshan Li
6
Yusta
25
Iara Monaco
7
Kevin Uchiha
26
Madeleine Duflot
8
Patrick Walker
& Koa Pham
9
Sandy Wang
27
Rebecca Lardeur
10
William Green
28
Chantal Gagnon
11
Deji Feyisetan
29
Sam McDermott
12
Jasmine Schofield
& Nik Rawlings
13
Louis Schreyer
30
Abi Moffat
14
Subject
31
Nico Limo
15
Leda Yang
32
Tess Rees
16
AJ Bizby-Weir
17
Edward Green
18
Nina Vukadin
19
Nicolee Tsin
& Leanne Vincent
20
Anna Baumgart

1
Mama Cess,
by Grace McLoughlin.
As a maker interested in the importance of both spirituality and connectivity, the concept
of 21st faith was an exciting one. The exhibition itself was a great chance to see what
conversations could arise in an open and inclusive space where people conceptualised
their views/ideologies in relation to faith in the 21st century. This multitude of viewpoints
coupled with the feeling of openness and inclusivity was, I feel, the backbone of the show
and these are valuable feelings to foster if we are to create more harmonious communities
in this century. The welcoming environment was a perfect opportunity for me to test
the participatory elements of my practice and to engage in discussion with both audience
and fellow artist. Collectivity felt key to the show and the collective nature of the project
is perhaps (hopefully) reflective of a broader more tolerant understanding of faith
and a bigger investment in faith driven living for the future.
Grace: gmcloughlin94@gmail.com

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Grace: My practice acts as a tool to navigate
the mythic relationship between
the (female) body and the earth.
Employing various mediums, I attempt
to allude to a space/time/spirituality that
instead of being outside of contemporary
gender and environmental discourses,
pours through the conversational cracks
and acts as a stinking agent in the (con)
fusion needed to undo the damages of
oppositional thinking. My practice aims
to mimic this sticky slime and absorbs
goddess myth, (eco)feminist theory
and earth sciences to create a more
fluid understanding of the body and its
relationship with the earth in this present
moment.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice? What role do you think faith will
play in the 21st century?
Researching the representation of women
and nature in historical belief systems
is important in my work as it informs
current views and offers examples
we can steal from to shape more holistic
relationships with our bodies and the earth
in the future. An understanding of ancient
and scientific myths surrounding women
and the earth is central to my practice.
I aim to re-present these myths in the hope
of using them to re-examine the dangerous
phallocentrism within monotheistic
religions. 21st Faith is a chance to propose
an approach to faith that is inclusive,
creative, intelligent and joyful.
37

2
Watching you Learn.
2 Years of Self Belief,
by Simeron Kaler.
The Venus Figurines were the basis of my exploration for this project into faith in the 21st
Century. The figures were considered by some to be the first form of religion in sculpture,
depicting the goddess of Mother Earth. However another contrasting view was that they
were the initial illustration of a self portrait; with the large proportioned curves due
to the artist looking down at their own body when sculpting.
I began exploring the modern day representation of this, the idea that we women were
the figurines and the goddesses themselves. That we should be kind, worship and love
ourselves.
This self belief led me to explore how it related directly to my own life, as having this trait
had never been something I had thought about or considered. I was taught this lesson
when I witnessed someone very close to me grow. A journey of discovery, assertiveness
and self confidence. It felt so special watching someone achieve this new found love
and freedom, and developing a sense of faith in themselves, that it almost felt like I was
experiencing it too.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Simeron: I’m a multi-disciplinary artist
and designer living and working in London.
My practice centres around honesty
and story-telling. I am very interested in
the perception of the female form,
and am exploring the different ways
that we can reclaim our body.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
The project of 21st Faith is something
different. I love the idea that such a wide
range of practitioners are all exploring one
theme, it’s very exciting. Faith links to
the work I am currently doing on reclaiming
ourselves as it’s about looking inward
and having self-belief and love.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
Hopefully it will increasingly unite rather
than divide.
Simeron: simeronkaler.com, contact@simeronkaler.com, @simeronkaler 39

3
The Shadow of Death,
by Goodness Victor.
An exploration of suffering
and the darker sides of the human
experience within biblical text,
expressed through a series
of illustrations and poetry.
The majority of my work starts
with anatomy.
For me it’s the level playing field
beneath the skin.
It’s beneath the layers of faith,
of tribe, of skin, of opinion, of colour
and of creed.
Thorns.
three times i pleaded with the lord.
reference
2 corinthians 12 vs 7-10
english standard version
three times i pleaded with the lord,
for the cup of suffering to pass.
yet thorns of pain found themselves,
within the flesh of my skin,
weighing heavy on these bones.
grief found herself within my veins.
pain found herself within my bones.
three times i pleaded with the lord.
joy finds herself within my veins.
hope finds herself within my lungs.
Goodness: goodnessvictor@gmail.com

Fear.
the valley of the shadow of death.
reference
psalm 23 vs 4
english standard version
‘even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil’
even through I walk through
dark valleys,
upon dark valleys,
my soul holds firmly to light.
even when darkness engulfs
this being
and weak bones
collapse
upon weak bones
my heart will fear no evil.
even when light is
but a distant memory
even with the last breath
from these blackened lungs,
my soul holds firmly to hope.
i will fear no evil.
Exhale.
if i make my bed in hell, you are there.
reference
psalm 139 vs 7-12
new king james version
if i make my bed in hell,
the darkest of depths,
you are there.
where can my spirit
run or hide?
when these nerves are filled
with fear,
inhale
you are there.
when these veins are wrecked
with loss,
exhale
you are there.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Goodness: I’m a designer, illustrator
and poet. I’m a curious human by nature,
constantly asking questions about
the human condition. I question almost
everything within the world around us -
especially my faith. My practice consists
of a mixture of visual design, illustration,
screen printing and digital printing.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I decided to participate in 21st Faith after
a conversation with Rebecca, the founder
of the project. I was surprised by and also
interested in the opportunity to discuss
and challenge the idea of faith from various
angles. My faith is super important to me
and my practice. My faith filters into all
aspects of my life and world view. It effects
how are see things, how I interact with
people and also how I view myself.
The most powerful aspect of my faith
is the understanding of love. Love that is
long suffering, love that doesn’t keep
a record of wrongdoing, love that is patient
with all people, even beyond my own
human ability. Because of this my faith is
key to my practice. It is key to how
I interpret concepts and ideas, and is often
the foundation of my work.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I think faith will continue to play a key role
in the 21st century. Our ancestors have
always believed in something. I think faith
enables societies to continue to hope
and look towards the future, whether
is faith in a deity, or faith in family and
community or faith in the unknown,
faith conjures up hope. The ability to hope,
for me, makes me most human.
41

4
Lilium,
by Henry Yang.
Lilium is an exploration of the relationship between the Fibonacci Sequence and life.
Measuring two meters tall, this life sized window encapsulates light itself and evokes
the ideals of innocence, humility and devotion.
Lilium uses the allegory of light and the way light behaves when passing by solid objects,
to create a realistic grounding of the abstract. The form of the window and its relation
to stain glass is an inference to the “Divine Light” which is filtered through these windows.
The shapes and patterns in it connect and allude to the Divine Proportion, Phi
and golden ratio.
A further reference is made to the image-laden culture which drives our everyday world,
from pixels on a screen to the ubiquitous use of imagery in advertisement to selfies,
and the way in which these images are organised in our world, either physically
or digitally, often forming a grid, or pattern, within which windows to other worlds
and perspectives can be seen. The effects of refracted light and blurred colours, remind
the viewer that our vision of today and of the future is foggy and malleable, and as such
the likenesses of window panes in my work reference man’s attempts at making sense
of the past, comprehending the present and peering into the future.
Henry: henryyang.co.uk, info@henryyang.co.uk, @henryyangart

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Henry: With scientific & technological
advancements leading the way in
which people perceive reality, patterns,
coincidences & chance occurrences
surfaced as key concepts in my work.
A common element that runs throughout
my is that of the mathematical Phi, the
source ratio which was defined in the
3rd Century BC by Euclid in Elements,
otherwise known as the “Golden Ratio”. Phi,
along with Pi, the circular constant, appears
as repeated fundamental patterns in the
universe.
A further focus is on the allegory
of light. The work examines the way light
refracts through glass, to create a realistic
grounding of an abstract image. The form
of the window & its relation to stained glass
is a reference to the “Divine Light” which
passes through windows at places of
worship. The work is a comment on the
powerful way in which elements can be
ideologically transformed.
Finally, a reference is made to the
image-laden culture which drives our
everyday world, from pixels on a screen
to the ubiquitous use of imagery in
advertisement to selfies & the way in
which these images are organised in our
world, either physically or digitally, often
forming a grid, or pattern, within which
windows to other worlds & perspectives
can be seen. The explosion in imagery as
a result of digital media has transformed
the manner in which humanity as a species
operates; an examination & criticism is
made through the use of blurred & opaque
window panes, as well as their lack of a light
source. Ironically, they are windows through
which no physical light enters, but instead
dependent on external light sources.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I was drawn to 21st Faith as it explored a
theme that is fundamental to my practice.
The idea of incorporating a religious
aspect to artwork was something that has
dominated art history, with religion being
central to daily life prior to the 21st century.
As theories such as the big bang came
to be accepted, many religious explanations
to our existence have became somewhat
discredited.
The fundamental question of all
discourse is “why”. While scientific
advancement and new theories have always
been able to serve as an expansion on what
we know, and also to allow humanity to
experience and understand things that exist
on ever smaller, and ever larger levels, the
question of why these things are the way
they are have never been fully addressed.
In Parallel, art has become ever more
simplified, made on an ever larger scale,
with minimalism and conceptualism
the prevailing, dominant forces in art
theory. Yet “why” has not been explored
in great detail, possibly as it is difficult to
do so, both in philosophical and scientific
discourse, as well as in art.
To answer a question as fundamental
and basic as a “why”, which serves to
question all things, including itself, an
omniscient question, a similar basic,
fundamental, answer would simply be
“everything”. The meaning of this answer
is that the importance, perspective and
positional qualities of all things hold
equivalent significance, whether it be
chewing gum stuck to the floor, or
the Queen’s diamond tiara, both are made
of simple matter, and both are equally
conversable into a sum of energy. Both are
equal, and different. It is humanity that has
placed one above the other.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
Religious perspectives and ideologies will
filter into scientific discourse over time.
Philosophic enquiries and the exploration
of the human mind cannot be accomplished
entirely through purely scientific means.
A cross-fusion of different aspects
of all faiths should be something to be
expected and encouraged. There will be a
reexamination and redefinition of the word
“god” into a meaning less akin to a higher
power to which we are helpless but rather
as a word which encourages acceptance
and non discrimination of all things.
43

5
The Just Shall
Live By Faith,
by Nicole Leblanc.
As an officially Christian nation, in the Bahamas faith isn’t just a formality,
but an intricate part of government and daily life. Christianity is named as the country’s
founding religion, and 20 Christian denominations have active churches throughout
the country of 350,000 residents.
The form of a place of faith can often reveal much about the area, when separated
from the grand institution of the Church, how do the constraints of geography, money,
labour and architecture shape the way people practice faith?
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Nicole: I was born in the Bahamas
in 1994, and my British and Bahamian
heritage informs my work, using the
photographic image to document the space
between these two places. I find that the
confrontation of the separate environments
gives light to complex interdependencies,
informing the way I understand how
to create objects and images.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
As a non-religious person, what drew me
to take part in 21st Faith was simply an
interest in the role religion plays in our
society. I believe that faith is a powerful
engine of hope, and acts as a source
of stability for people who experience
a lot of uncertainty. Using photography
to document houses of faith, allows me
to understand the nature of faith
in my community.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I believe that faith will play an extremely
important role in the 21st Century, just as
it always has, and like it always will.
As much as we would like to think that
science and logic explains the way we
behave and what we do, it often ignores
the fact that humans are spiritual beings,
and that we want more then just material
gains. We do not make decisions just based
of self interest, but also of a set of beliefs,
of what we feel is truthful.
Nicole: nicoleleblanc.net, nicoleleblanc10@gmail.com, @ _nicoleleblanc 45

6
Someone,
Some Street,
by Yusta.
The City as Memorial
As I move through the streets, on certain corners, at certain crossings I see pink,
red and yellow petals, wrapped in brown paper, clear plastic or just a black bin bag, tied
to street lamps. Some are fresh, facing the sky, taking in water from a halved water bottle.
A laminated portrait and a short message sit unblemished between stalks. Others are
a little older, the leaves have turned brown, with petals scattered across the pavement,
waiting to be swept up by the street cleaning machine’s revolving brush. On others
condensation has made the ink bleed and those tender words are lost in the surface
an object on its inevitable path to becoming rubbish.
Knocked off their bike, caught on a crossing, stabbed or shot. Victims of the city,
those that passed away in the streets, on the concrete, they are immortalized on that
same spot. It is a reminder that this is not just any street, not just some everyday piece
of pavement, but a place of significance.
I find myself cycling around a roundabout on the edge of the city, as I roll around
it’s curve, I pass a bike chained to the railings, painted entirely in white, even the chain,
caked and stiff, unable to turn again. I keep rolling; I pass another, and another. Cars zoom
by, coming off the motorway slip road into the city, this visual code makes the danger
of this place tangible, I slow the rotations of my wheel, I come off and head down
the canal, away from all that past destruction.
It is a cool spring morning and I’m walking through the park that my house edges,
an oak tree sits at the far end, between two rows of terrace houses. As I draw closer,
I see ribbons running up the tree’s trunk, red and gold on rough bark. Flowers
and messages crowd the wet grass, pushing up against the bottom of the trunk.
A single image is stapled to the bark, a young boy; he’d been stabbed a week before,
I’d heard. I stand for minute looking at these offering of memory, trying to construct
an image of this person, who I was learning the existence of in the same moment
I was learning of their death. But it not long before I start to feel awkward, feeling wrong
to linger. In the midst of someone else’s pain, I am a visitor, an onlooker, a rubbernecker.
I keep walking, entering the underpass, its brick walls are dressed in a pastel scrawl.
Chalk lines draw out messages, goodbyes or simply the boys name, written large and bold
in the handwriting of children, teenagers and adults alike.
I pass these memorials on my familiar routes; with each day I see them slowly dissolve
into the urban skin. They cannot last, the city could simply not bear the weight of it all,
or be reminded too often, if it is to consider itself first and foremost a place of life.
No, they must disappear, all trace eventually confined to the minds of those who
intersected with these events, one way or another.
Death often reminds us of the importance of life, a cliché but a truism nonetheless.
I passed by the tree memorial on the estate the other day. I have since moved house,
and this is path I rarely tread these days. It’s been almost two years now but the memorial
still stands. Most of the flowers have all but disappeared, instead two large white t-shirts
with the boy’s face and name in their center are now are pinned to trunk with gold tacks,
bright on an otherwise dreary autumn day. The tree is secluded between eight terrace
houses, all of which have a kitchen window facing the tree.
To find these markings in our streets, reminds us that public space is not simply
utilitarian, and though it may not feel like it, the city is shaped by us. That is to say,
as we live and die we continue to give it form.
Yusta: cargocollective.com/gostamakes, contact.gosta@protonmail.com, @g.o.sta

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice. What drew you to take part in 21st
Faith? How is faith important to you and
your practice? What role do you think faith
will play in the 21st century?
Yusta: I have never had an organized faith,
though born into an officially Christian
‘Church of England’ state; religious faith
has gradually faded from my bloodline
and in truth I have never truly interacted
with this aspect of my country’s culture.
It manifested itself in pseudo-religious
holidays such as Christmas or Easter, times
to express community and family, yet also
these are times co-opted by consumerism.
The classification of England by a religion
also fail represent the many other faiths
that exist in tandem in England. Religious
faith is a concept that I have always found
conflicting, it has both brought people
together and torn them apart
in all iterations. In my work I hope to
explore further how different forms of
faith can co-exist and strengthen one
another whilst not losing their identity in
the process. In my work exploring the city,
conflict and tension are ever present,
but I believe, not insurmountable.
However faith does not represent
religion alone. It manifests itself in all parts
of life, and is often experienced as an
emotion that as a fixed concept. We have
faith in one another, in community, family
and the future. Many people, especially
in the western world, have lost connection
with their religion. How can it be replaced?
Political apathy and mistrust are strong,
many people feel in Britain feel that they
have been betrayed by the ruling elite,
that they cannot trust these people
and thus can there cannot be faith.
Though I had a childhood where the
Internet existed on the fringe, in my
adolescent years social media began
growing exponentially as a social force.
As first it seemed as though it could
connect us all, but as it has been said
‘Technology allows us to keep in touch
whilst keeping as a distance.’ While I feel
this to be true, there are also many that
found faith in communities online, where
technology allowed them to reconnect with
faith where it lacked in the rest of their life.
Community in the urban fabric has also
increasingly been broken down. People
learnt to stay inside and to mistrust their
neighbor, moving house every few years,
as so gated communities and faceless glass
high-rises grow around them.
Where can we find faith in today’s
world, if not in a system of religion, politics
or community? I believe faith comes from
the fact that so many others have also
asked the same question. That despite all
of the forces that seek to degrade our faith,
we still search for it. Faith, for me,
is something that exists outside of any
system or classification. Our society
changes and familiar institutions disappear,
we find that we are different from one
another in so many ways. Yet I believe that
if we communicate with one another we
can find new ways to affirm our faith. Art is
one of many ways in which this discussion
can be begin and be expressed. Technology
is an unstoppable force at this point, the
idea of going back to some internet free
world is a dream.
49

7
Untitled,
by Kevin Uchiha.
The reality of Manga projection is non-voluntarily indulging hands and knees deep,
into a backlog of unjustified self-doubt, either through questioning of self or exterior
variables affecting the outlook of (A) fan; i.e Bullying. And as a result, their solitude
to the cause of the religious investment they go through is considered to be faith.
Momentum progresses, gestural operation of movement in focus of victory within
violence. A record of faux battle. Substituting a preference of 2D entertainment with
a-present human being. The confidence of Shónen genre is self-consistent. It doesn’t rely
on westernised defecation to provide a backbone of projected heroisms, Mangaka’s
have already perfected the craft.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Kevin: While studying fashion design I felt
I was led to the idea that its necessary
to combine fascination of Shonen
orientated characteristics in an curated
setting that suggested collaboration
in presentation amongst other peoples
work.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I’ve been asked to be a part of it, I had
an idea, I felt it was necessary in relation
to faith.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
To get to the core of the problem.
Relying on the moment you require
adrenaline to inform your decision
to let faith do it for you.
Kevin: facebook.com/liluzikevin 51

8
Chimera,
by Patrick Walker.
The Chimera project developed from a series of installations. The two previous works
were aimed at producing an insight into the conflict and inequality in the urban
environment of London. This third instalment follows the same pathway. In this case
I toured the metropolis in search of lavish new-builds that provide the owners of capital
with their aspirations for riches to dominate the skyline. Roaming through Vauxhall
and Canary Wharf to North Greenwich and West Silverton gave me an overview
on the capital city’s present-day ideas. What I found was the sight that is dominant
throughout the city, which is that of large glass monuments that idolise yet contradict
the idea of prosperity. This is a fabric of dreams for most, reality for a few. Behind
the façade there is no substance. The dream is a chimera. Faith appears exploited,
particularly when new developments sit on the sites of the homes, or places
of work of ordinary people displaced by the march of greed.
The Chimera project and the two previous series’ of works are aimed at portraying real
life debates that question our present and future world, often in contrast to the past.
I feel that art cannot be truly value-free. This compels me to visually display
my interpretation of what I have witnessed. Faith can be in something illusory.
Once this is shattered our own beliefs can be transformed. I have grown up living in
the city of London and its suburbs, experiencing both sides of its life. When I lived
in the suburbs the sensual lure of the shiny skyscrapers in the city was seductive.
Through witnessing the privatisation of space and the destruction of less privileged
communities, my view has been radically altered.
Patrick: patrickflannerywalker.com, @patrickflannerywalker

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Patrick: The grit and glamour of cities
intrigue me. Examples of the man-made
world of urban landscapes, spaces
and mechanically constructed objects
are abundant in my practice. I am attracted
to the stories that are told through the old
and new fabric of human developments.
I weave into my work on urban landscapes
the people who are its inhabitants, and
whose lives are shaped in part by their
environment. In spite of the bustle of
the metropolis, I often find tranquillity
roaming around London, my home city,
and other spaces. I aim to portray real life
debates that question our present and
future world, often in contrast to the past.
Man-made and natural aspects of the urban
landscape are often the antithesis of one
another. My work stems from these and
other ideas. Photography, installation,
film and painting are among the media
that I use. The camera is my most used tool,
yet I am not always satisfied with just the
image. I feel the need to experiment
in mixed media, and new techniques.
I want to push boundaries.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I was drawn to take part in the 21st Faith
project because the word faith has such
a wide-ranging meaning. Faith can be seen
as a confidence or trust in something,
for instance the religious belief in the faith
of god. The certainty that revolved around
religious faith had been questioned and
proved wrong by scientific discovery but
nonetheless, blind faith in religion persists.
It brings solace to some, subjugates many,
and polarises communities. For many
of us, however, faith may be the belief
in ideals such as peace or equality, or in
a system such as ‘capitalism’ which has
been a magnet to aspiring entrepreneurs,
and to those whose ambitions lie in
consumerism, glamour and greed.
For some the faith is to rise from the gutter
and land in the glitter.
Faith can be in something illusory.
Once this is uncovered our own beliefs
can be transformed. I have grown up living
in the city of London and its suburbs,
experiencing both sides of its life.
When I lived in the suburbs the sensual
lure of the shiny skyscrapers in the city
was seductive. Through witnessing the
privatisation of space and the destruction
of less privileged communities, my view
has been altered. The faith I once had in
the glamour dissipated as I realised it was
a chimera. Something real, solid and more
egalitarian is worth building faith around.
As much of my work illustrates both the
illusion and its destruction, participating
in 21st Faith has resonance for me.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I would like to think of a future where
mankind could find common ground
and turn away from a faith that pits culture,
religion, and groups against one another.
Sadly, the current climate in many parts
of the world are showing no signs of this.
Young people in Britain are demanding
a greater voice as their needs have so often
been ignored. The same is true of the poor,
whose needs have been blatantly labelled
as not worth bothering about. We should
be able to enjoy good things. Culture,
food, possessions, sport and the aesthetic
qualities of life without a need to be
in a club which excludes those who do not
share whatever the faith may be.
I think faith will have both positive and
destructive effects in the 21st century. There
are politicians, and communities with such
differing views that clashes between two
parties is unavoidable. Although this may
be so, I hope for a world with the complete
belief or faith in peace.
53

9
The Exorcist Set,
by Sandy Wang.
Faith functions as a bridge from the last generation to the next; it brings forth traditions
and culture that people had been practicing. Combing through history, the 70s saw
the rise of the horror genre in cinema, notably the classic cult film - The Exorcist. I chose
this iconic film as the project’s subject due to its spiritual themes, exploring how fear
in pop culture could act as a medium to influence the public of their faith.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Sandy: I’m an illustrator and designer!
I enjoy translating complex ideas
and concepts to digestible visuals for easy
understanding; like emotions and data.
Some of my works can also be pretty dark,
and ironic too.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I like the idea of discussing faith with
the recent events that happened over our
century. ‘Faith’ is relatable and close
to heart to everyone; whether you have
one or not. It’s important to me, because
it helps me to drill deeper and understand
my own values, which also open the stage
for anyone to be part of this conversation.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
Faith functions as a bridge from the last
generation to the next; it brings forth
traditions and culture that people had
been practicing. So, I guess it’ll continue
to play that part as the world evolves
simultaneously, I think faith would always
be a catalyst of something big.
Sandy: fartsforart.com, @sandyplayig 55

10
U reckon the devil
is vegan?,
by William Green.
In my opinion, one of the fundamentals of art is for people to decipher their own meaning
from works before (if ever) exposed to that of the original artist. With a specialty such
as art that has such an undefined purpose, it is important for other people to take what
they can from it, before they are told what to make of it. With this in mind my personal
explanation of my work will ruin any form of intelligent pre conception that may
have projected onto it. If I could, I’d give 0 insight regarding my piece.
The work is derived simply from wordplay. I have taken the modern meat substitute,
‘Seitan’, and formed a brash satanic symbol from it. That’s all the viewer is truly getting;
a gimmick.
Seitan, originally developed by the Japanese, later adopted by America, has recently
become popular within the vegan community. It is a form of gluten that can be yielded
by sifting dough through water over an elongated period of time to eventually resemble
the texture of meat. It is then seasoned and decorated as if it were anything from fried
chicken to sausages.
I don’t come from an artistic background as such, and have never had the opportunity
to explore a purely conceptual idea without it having a direct function, as is with art.
This being my first on a public scale, I decided to poke fun at the idea, by creating
a piece of work that involves obvious symbolic and aesthetic triggers, however with
little relationship between these materials, other than their practical uses. Any derived
outside meaning of the piece is flattering. Although it is humorous to think of people
pondering over something with so many elusive clues as to what it may represent, when
the artists definition is close to meaningless. Maybe this makes me shallow. I don’t think
I should be an artist.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
William: I am a fashion designer and recent
Menswear graduate from Central Saint
Martins. My usual practice however, hasn’t
at all informed my approach to the 21st faith
project.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Faith isn’t a topic I often consciously touch
on in design, although historically it is
an integral influence to many artists
so I believe it indirectly plays a role
in certain contemporary art. It also is
interesting to consider the decline of
traditional faith in western society replaced
with and new self determined idea of ‘faith’
driven by consumer culture and icons.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
It depends what is defined by faith.
In the most traditional sense of faith,
the most prominently publicized
and controversial ‘role’ is its association with
terror. And it’s these negative connotations
that will decrease its popularity and
scapegoat such a once imperative belief
system and its followers.
William: williamfrancisgreen.tumblr.com, @wwffgggg 57

11
Untitled,
by Deji Feyisetan.
When I started to think about what faith meant to me as a millennial, I realised that
I had become quite disenfranchised from any form of religion that I had been socialised,
familiarised or indoctrinated to believe. However, I also acknowledge that it’s highly
ignorant to disregard the beliefs of others, because the same notion of social conditioning
applies to most, if not every other facet of life. What’s most logical to me about
the concept of faith is that it can validate a comforting, but ultimately human fallacy
of certainty - it can reassure people that there is a purpose to life and suffering and that
the people they once loved are in a better place.
Whilst I’m clearly sceptical and somewhat alienated by theological practice as a whole,
I think that there are still several habits and rituals in my life which most likely derive from
religion and the impact it had on my upbringing and how that subsequently shaped my
lens of existence.
This desire to understand existence or at least frame life experiences within a larger
narrative is paradigmatic of religion, but also the means through which we maintain
sanity in a life where we are required to fight our human nature everyday to fulfil our
basic needs. Though steeped in scepticism, ’The Ephemeral Loop’ expands on my original
assumption that the rationale behind religion(s) is universal and applies just as much
to secular communities.
Metaphysical imagery is a recurrent theme throughout my work, and has long been
a topic of interest for me as I find the principles poignant in reference to my perspective
and experiences during my formative years. In the series of giclée prints I aimed to draw
parallels between transcendental symbology and different societal customs
in a cross-cultural study where various digital techniques are used to convey
my perception of each sentiment. As the prints serve as a timeline of my perceptions,
I decided to pair each print and medium with a metaphysical symbol
and the corresponding number that best surmises my emotional state.
Deji: dejifeyisetan.co.uk, deji_f@live.com, @yuthdevine

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Deji: My name’s Deji and I’m 23 year-old
multimedia creator, with a focus on sound
and music. My life’s been centred around
the underground music scene since
I was in school, and I became increasingly
involved as my interest in the culture grew.
More recently, the art that’s peripheral
to music and the different ways they allow
the audience to perceive the media is what
drives me.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
21st Faith is a project I became aware of
shortly after it was conceived, and I thought
the premise was necessary to explore.
Even though it’s quite an ambiguous term,
I think ‘faith’ is something quite human
regardless of individual values, beliefs
or how stringently rules are followed.
Metaphysical imagery is something that
is recurring in my work and the name
of my collective, ‘Pineal Sounds’ came
as a result of my interest in metaphysics
within different cultures and religions.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
We’re living in a really uncertain time
and our concerns mirror the complexity
of our lives. There’s a lot going on in the
world, from global problems like climate
change to personal issues such as mental
health. Ultimately, I think faith is a concept
that evolves with the people practicing it.
59

12
Fidel Lana Erunt,
by Jasmine Schofield.
‘Since faith was not a large part of my upbringing, the ideas and traditions that surround
different faiths fascinate me but also frighten me, in particular the objects that surround
our faith or that we put belief into.’
Jasmine explores objects around faith and the artefacts used within different religions,
in particular those that might be considered spiritual or sentimental in value
or importance. Jasmine explores the ideas of faith within the compounds of found objects
that relate to her own perspective of home and security as an atheist by created a shrine
consisting of contrasting materials and textures including metal, wool and plants laced
together on top of a rolled carpet to represent how objects can be comprised to create
a status of power through positioning and placement.
The combination of familiar items that are traditional to me were constructed through
my own interpretation of a quote by William H. Hunt expresses that “when language
was not transcendental enough to complete the meaning of a revelation, symbols
were relied upon for heavenly teaching, and familiar images, chosen from the known,
were made to mirror the unknown spiritual truth.”
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Jasmine: Jasmine Schofield is a recent
graduate of Fine Art from Central Saint
Martins, and within hr practice investigates
the ideas of memory through her
installations around the notion of ‘Home’.
Her installations are comprised with familiar
items, commonly domestic objects that
are warped or edited to construct a surreal
situation. These surreal situations are aimed
to create a physical memory and many
of the objects are picked from the
memories of Jasmine’s childhood.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Since faith was not a large part of my
upbringing, the ideas and traditions
that surround different faiths fascinate
me but also frighten me. I aim to focus
on religious buildings and how the spaces
within these buildings are used. I decided
to take part in 21st Faith to explore
these ideas further, and to create a situation
out of found objects, and giving an atheist
perspective.
Jasmine: jasmineschofield.com, jasmine_schofield@hotmail.com 61

13
good good not bad,
by Louis Schreyer.
Faith is of uttermost importance in the 21. Century. Our future has been stolen
and it is up to us to overcome sarcasm and depression by taking control of our future.
Orwell said, “who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls
the past.”
While we are living in the exaggeration of something similar to the utopian nightmare
of the Brave New World as described by Aldous Huxley, our future is painted more
sinisterly with the dooming Extinction through nuclear war or natural disasters.
Because it is too difficult accepting this fact and ones apathy towards our future
as humanity, we all live in our own more or less happy little worlds.
Faith in the 21. Century can be described to me like this. Imagine everybody
in the world would stop working for 1 day completely. Although it seems technologically
and logistically possible in terms of communication, it still seems highly unlikely
it would ever happen. I chose this example because I believe we need to restore our faith
in humanity as whole, and that means me and you and everybody else. There is a small
fraction of people in power that are responsible for the ongoing illegal wars, as well as
climate change regulations or in positions to change this global trend. Yet in a world ruled
by the free markets our illusion of choice through representative democracies, does not
hold any power in changing these main issues we are facing. By coming together
with something as radically as stopping the economy completely for one day, would start
a new era, “the human project,” and show humanity we stand together, which is the only
way we will ever change the relations of power. For a single person, not coming in for
work one day might not seem that radical, you might say you are ill or just skip it
and get an excuse. If you are super straight you could even get one holiday day. Either way
your consequences would be minimal. But if everyone did this act of minimal damage
to ones personal life, it would have a huge impact on the worlds equilibrium.
This would only work if everybody firmly believed that everybody else was also going
to stay at home just like them. In the same way that, if I believe the world is going down
and our environment is totally fucked up, and either way the huge companies are creating
way more waste then I do, so it doesn’t even matter, I won’t recycle.
But if I believe in a future where the people have forced governments and companies
to change their regulations and the planet and species’ are regenerating, plus I know
everybody else is recycling too, I almost have to recycle. Even just morally. Therefore we
have to believe in the future again. Nobody I have ever met wants to bomb or kill anyone
else, nobody wanted the planet to be polluted and species to go extinct or even humans
to go instinct either. I don’t know if you as the reader agree but this is for most part of
humanity at least those people who have the luxury to live in peace. Why can’t we imagine
a future in peace, powered by renewable energies, working on human survival
on this planet and the growth of empathy and balance through having faith.
Us, as artists, communicators, but also everybody else has have the chance to rebuild this
future. Have faith, create faith, dream about the future. In the end the future only exists
in the way we speak about it. It never really starts, neither tonight, nor tomorrow, nor in a
year. We can only imagine it by the way we think about it or how it is been portayed to us.
Only if we have faith in the future, we can act positively and be happy today.
Louis: louisschreyer.com, @bitchesandturtles

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Louis: Louis Schreyer is a german born
artist/designer based in London, doing
a MA in Informa- tion Experience Design
at the Royal College of Art. Working in
a range of media, he makes use of analog
photography and videography, while
exploring new ways of working with
interactive sculptures, digital realities
and emotions as well as experiences
in art. His work is socially critical
and often political, as he looks at social
behavior, the interaction of humans and
machines, as well as language. He is
interested in Surveillance, and different
means of control in popular culture.
He has exhibited in several exhibitions
in London, Berlin as well Jerusalem
in which he mainly presented photography,
sculptures and installation works.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
As an artist, faith is essential in one’s
success. In the 21st Century there is not
much faith left, as our future has been
killed by films, capitalisms simulations
of subculture through popular culture
and the news. Our future was once going
to be one in which free love, music
and happiness ruled over war and money,
but that future was bought. In a way
the future only ever exists in the way
we talk about and therefore define it.
It never really starts, but without somebody
laying it out for us we could not envision it,
which is why Dystopian art or films
are dangerous. In order to restore faith,
we have to invent futures, we have to try to
live those futures ourselves which is where
change happens. Yet as artists we need
to embody this positive attitude towards
notions of future in our work. If not even
change our work in order to save our future
and the world from meaningless art.
I am interested in faith as a subject and was
drawn in by my good friend Rebecca who
envisioned and brought to live the project
as I had faith in her vision. A great deal
of other friends and artists had the same
faith which is why it was possible to bring
such a beautiful show and people together.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I think in the 21st Century as of so far Faith
has died to some degree, as our future
has collapsed. There are an infinite amount
of futures, that only ever exist in the way
we talk about, and therefore define them.
Religion used to serve the purpose control
through fear, but also ensuring faith
in the future to deal with the present.
Language allowed for this description
of heaven or hell as only possible futures
in order to guide the masses. Still today
religion has a huge impact on some people
leading them to make radical decisions
based on faith. Still Governments outdated
Religion as institutions of control, as they
installed faith in democracy and peace.
Shared narratives are means of faith based
in language. The Future has collapsed
as we have stopped being able to grasp
the present. Not knowing our destination
is eroding our path as we stumble
into the future. As markets and networks
have exceeded our understanding and their
repercussions on nature are too difficult
to judge and predict, as to define a shared
narrative to deal with the complexity
of issues in the world and their networks.
When we talk about the future, its mainly
in terms of dystopia which is only
supported by the media and film/ TV
industry. In order to restore faith in
the future, we need to invent new futures,
new paths. The way we think about the
future defines the way we act in the present
as well as the present defining the future.
Faith carries energy and can be inspiring.
Therefore faith plays a huge role in the 21.
Century. We need people to believe in
a better future in order to create it by living
and inviting it in the present!
65

14
Untitled,
by Subject.
Algorithmic processing of video footage is used comprehensively by both the state
and private firms to detect a range of human behaviour: from simple motion, to the age,
race and gender of those being filmed. How aware are the public to these tools
and how might designed experiences be used to reveal these mechanisms?
The work aims to question our notions of faith in contemporary life by drawing parallels
between religion and the obscured mechanisms which are developed to support
advanced technologies; powering social media, data collection and state governance.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Subject: Subject is a critical design studio
which examines hairline fractures
at the intersection of data, architecture,
society and politics, using design
as an experimental vehicle for research and
journalism.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
As a studio we explore contemporary
technology in relation to the obscured and
intangible aspects of its construction and
use. More and more people are placing their
trust in private companies by knowingly or
unknowingly providing their personal data
in exchange for services. This phenomena
strikes us as one of the most widespread
expressions of faith in society today.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
With the decline in practice of traditional
religion and the greater adoption of social
technology, faith is increasingly being
placed in capital and particularly products
that facilitate ease of social interaction.
Subject: subject.design, studio@subject.design 67

15
Connatural,
by Leda Yang.
For 21st Faith I’ve created an arrangement of ceramic objects based on natural rhythms.
During the making of this piece I was looking into exponential growth and the creation
of hyperbolic curves, often found in nature, during the show the ceramic pieces
were often compared to petals and leaves. I initially looked at types of coral and tree
branches which have a similar way of developing. Throughout the event I saw people’s
intuition for natural forms.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Leda: My practice is centred around
geometry in its abstract form, often
I take inspiration from patterns in nature
and human arrangements throughout
civilisations and cultures around the world.
I am interested in communicating a
language which is universal and overcomes
socially constructed ideas and barriers.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I was very keen to take part in 21st Faith
as I find the core ideas shared with Rebecca
very close to my own. To build communities
of merging cultures and the fading lines
in a society, which are important to me
and others which aren’t rooted in their own
ethnicity or nationality. Coming from
an international background I always seek
to connect with people on a human
and natural basis rather than sociocultural.
The idea of faith as a human feeling
is something very close to the spirit
of my practice.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I believe that faith in the 21st century will
be a new chapter for us as people. I believe
our societies will find a new way
of practicing an honest and personally
developed way of perceiving faith.
Leda: ledayang.com 69

16
An Ungodly
Meteorologist,
by Larry Frederick Alan James Bizby-Weir.
Scene 1 - The News Broadcasting Studio
The brightly lit broadcasting studio of HTMS NEWS, cameras set on Kevin Swanson
as he wraps up report on effects of local lesbian couple’s recent marriage on the pest
infestation on local crops, Tony Perkins stands off camera in position for his weekly
weather report, a low hum of the newsroom fills the space with hymn like effect.
Kevin speaks with an overzealous use of his right hand, Tony stands fussing with
the cowlick on the far left side of his fringe using the reflection of an inactive tv monitor.
Kevin Swanson:
… so be sure to thank Mrs. Sarah Harmond and Mrs. Rachel
Vice this autumn for the shortage of pumpkins at your local
grocer. (Kevin smiles delightfully as he begins the segue onto
the weather) Tony! A Pumpkin shortage! You’ve got young ones
at home don’t you?
Larry: aj.weir@hotmail.com, @larryfajw

Tony Perkins:
Kevin Swanson:
(nodding vigorously whilst deeply creasing his eyebrows)
I sure do Kevin, two boys and another on the way!
I can barely imagine the looks on those little faces when they
sit down for their Thanksgiving meal to be disappointed with
no pumpkin pie for dessert! what truly dark day’s lie ahead,
and with dark days, tell us whats happening with the weather
this week Tony (As the camera’s move off of Kevin, an assistant
rushes over to dab the sweat lining his newly purchased hairline)
Tony Perkins: (Tony angels his body and begins to gesture to the green screen)
Well Kevin, this afternoon we’ve managed 18 degrees across
the state, but that is the last of the hot weather as recently Markus
Wight and Leon Hallow opened a case for adoption, so we will
see a change over the next few days turning much cooler,
and a lot more cloud around. Theres a weather front thats drifting
this way south that is bringing heavy rain to the north east
of the state for which we see reason to believe coincides with Mrs.
Victoria Range signing the lease on a 1 bed studio apartment
to share with her girlfriend last weekend. In the southern corners
of the state we will see breaks in the cloud, however the light
showers mid state will help keep the temperature up. Later in
the week we will see the showers continuing to blow a fairly
strong breeze with time reaching gail force, looking like a great
time to avoid the beach, as well as Brenda Hall , whom we can thank
for recently publishing her queer nasty girl zine. In the north the
temperatures will just about to be dropping to single figures, touch
on the chilly side here. As we look to the end of the week we see a real
taste of autumn as things continue to turn cooler, with plenty more
showers around, assuming Gary Bronte wont stop cruising his local
cemetery, the weather will continue in this pattern for some time.
(Tony adjusts his tie and throws a seemingly unenthusiastic double
finger guns towards his camera)
Back to you Kevin.
Kevin Swanson:
After the break we have onsite reporter Richard Bankwell finding
out how the upsurge of local coffee shop Adam & Steve have
singlehandedly created the downfall of the paper napkin industry,
but first are our children being targeted for free thinking in public
school health classrooms …
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Larry: With an important focus on hand
work, my practice takes traditional fine
crafts, such as goldwork embroidery,
tapestry weaving, sculpture and stained
glass, and explores contemporary themes
of dark romanticism, through a queer lens.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Growing up in a Protestant household,
faith has always been an important theme
with my parents. Through their practice
of faith, it carried me to many prodigious
and monumental religious sites, in which
i developed a reverence for the traditional
hand crafts found around the church.
I was drawn in to take part in 21st Faith,
as it was an opportunity to further explore
my opinions around faith, in relation
to Christianity.
71

17
Narcissus or
the Outfit of a Century,
by Edward Green.
‘Those hushed, restless murmurs of anger and despair at unfortunate events in all
of our lives must be directed somewhere. Who do we beg to for luck? Who do we curse
in the sky? For theists this is a God. But what, or who is it for a new generation
of narcissistic non-believers?’
Narcissus or The Outfit of a Century is a contemporary response, or reinterpretation,
of the mythical poem Echo and Narcissus, featured in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The ancient
story depicts a relationship of unequals. The mountain nymph, Echo, has her lust
and desire met with disdain by the proud hunter Narcissus. The latter’s devout faith
in his own beauty eventually spirals into self-obsession and culminates in suicide.
Morally, the tale resonates with a 21st Century crisis of identity and faith. Artificial persona
platforms such as Tinder, Bumble, Facebook and Twitter can be perceived as the endless,
echoing mating calls, emanating out from our phones and into the glass wilderness.
Narcissus, the objectifying receiver to these desperate echos, has become the common
person, with vanity, anxiety and mental health all being normalised in today’s society.
The search for faith is becoming more insular and more introspective.
Similar to the symbolist art movement and the Pre-Raphaelite painting techniques,
in which items of reference and significance are hidden amongst the paint and words,
I have included talismans of contemporary vanity into my work. Upon the model’s head;
a garland of feathers, weaved betwixt a life-giving-phone-charger. Adorning her body
is the collaged, ambiguous fashion of youth; nostalgic and thoughtless. Her skin exposed,
her eyes fixed and the gaze returned; has her faith been restored?
Edward: edwardjuliangreen.tumblr.com, @nedgreen

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Edward: Somewhere between the gravehanging
Merseyside skies and a vulgar
bedsit for three in Deptford sits a silent
somebody, squeezed in between the frank
and stout little pages of a dust collecting
iconic novel and a computer screen.
Displayed on the computer screen
is a collection of files marked:
‘Edward Green Submission #1’
‘Edward Green Submission #2’
…and so on. The files are leftovers from an
endless career (spanning only three years)
of images shot, developed, scanned and
hopefully, idealistically, sent to publications
across the country in vain. Inside the novel
(possibly a love story, possibly Betjeman’s
collected letters, possibly a cartoon)
a footnote reads: ‘Become a plumber’.
Edward Green was born in Liverpool
in 1996 and currently studies Media &
Communications at Goldsmiths, University
of London. His socially conscious work,
which celebrates banal, beautiful
and surreal aspects of public life,
has been exhibited in galleries across
the capital.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Faith, in my opinion, is a word tragically
out of fashion. The quickening demise
of religious conviction amongst westerners
is evident not only in the pews
of the local Methodist church but also
in the playground discourses of a new
generation; faith is not being taken
seriously. Rebecca’s concept is therefore
tremendously important in engaging
people and inciting opinions on a matter
which, quite frankly, used to be the most
important aspect of almost EVERYBODY’S
lives.
Those hushed, restless murmurs
of anger and despair at unfortunate
events in all of our lives must be directed
somewhere. Who do we beg to for luck?
Who do we curse in the sky? For theists
this is a God. But what, or who is it for
a new generation of narcissistic nonbelievers?
Is it Facebook algorithms?
Is it the Chairman of Burnley Football Club?
Is it ourselves? Is it the person with
the largest Instagram following?
I hope that my photography work is able
to address some of these questions in
an original and aesthetic manner.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
None whatsoever, unfortunately.
73

18
3:00 AM REVELATION,
by Nina Vukadin.
What is faith? This question was stuck in my head for many months, when I started
working on this project. I had a lot of ideas how I would interpret faith and a big part
of those ideas was revolved around the photographs I took while walking around the city.
However in the midst of this overthinking I ultimately had a ‘3 AM revelation’ - an urge
to simply write down my thoughts related to faith and what it meant to me. Which is how
my poem came about - looking at faith as something which is personal and subjective
and what that means in my specific case.
I wanted to communicate this poem across as easily as possible, which is why I decided
to print it on flags, a medium which has proven to be a great tool of easily communicating
a message or an ideology to the public. Whether this message is commercial, political
or in my case - personal.
The flags split the poem in two parts - the ‘universal’ and the ‘personal’. ‘Universal’
being what I believe faith is on a general basis and the ‘personal’ my own response
to this general claim: finding faith through walking around in cities.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Nina: I’m a graphic designer and one
of the creative directors of the magazine
EYESORE. Being a graphic designer has
turned me into a bit of a chameleon when
it comes to work, as I have to work in
a variety of different contexts and different
people. My design practice is always
led by creating concepts which I try to
communicate as simply across as possible.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I have been thinking about faith quite a bit
since this project was started. I felt I wanted
to contribute something because I wanted
to ask myself that question of what faith
is to me and try to define it. Faith for me
is isn’t necessarily something I consciously
consider important, however it definitely
plays a big role in my practice in ways
which I don’t think I’m yet aware of such
as through intuition and a general drive
to make.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
To be quite honest, I am not really sure.
I hope people will start to explore more
what faith means to them on a personal
level, rather than blindly following
a doctrine that might not benefit their
spiritual being much. That’s my hope,
but from the look of things it might take
a couple more centuries for that sort
of faith to develop.
Nina: ninavukadin.com, @neenzv 75

19
Your Turn,
by Nicolee Tsin
and Leanne Vincent.
‘Your Turn’ represents a constant feeling that replays in our heads - it is a journey
of moving forward yet constantly being pulled back and trying to breakthrough
that momentum. As she progresses, she translates the present moment into
unrelenting motion and an expression of empowerment.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Nicolee and Leanne: Leanne and I have
always been interested in using film
as a medium to speculate and record
movement. Our approach is experimental
and instinctive. Although we came from
very different backgrounds, Leanne
from London and myself from Hong Kong,
we were able to find the same language
through dance. It speaks emotions
and feelings that we shared and simply
can’t put in words.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Faith is important to our practice because
it encourages oneself to push forward
no matter what the outcome is. “Your Turn”
represents this idea as the protagonist tries
to defeat her frustrations through dance
in order to experience freedom in the mind
and body.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
By giving will power and strength to people
who will see light in whatever they do
and stand for.
Nicolee: nicoleetsin.com, @nicoleetsin / Leanne: @leanne24v 77

20
Flat Pack Plastic Pants,
by Anna Baumgart.
Flat Pack Plastic Pants relates to the idea of Faith as a simultaneously individual
and collective practice.
The opening night featured the live improvised performance of The Golden
Trouser Tours, bringing individuals together through a collective experience of dress.
Multiple pairs of nearly identical gold fake leather trousers lay in folded compositions
in a white square. At intervals throughout the evening, performers came and began
to unfold the trousers, interacting and playing with them.
Putting them on, they invited visitors to join them and walk around the exhibition
in a group. In turns, one person would lead and the rest would copy, performing certain
movements with the trousers, e.g. taking them on and off at different points around
the room and responding to other artworks.
The trousers are special for their quality of being notably flat, yet in contact with
the body transition into sculptural shells. Here exists a reciprocal dialogue between body
and garment, each influencing the other’s movements. After undressing, the trousers
are left with a bodily demeanor, as empty shells emphasising the ephemeral presence
and absence of individual bodies, marking their traces left behind.
Like faith, the trousers represent how one common thing can bring together individuals.
Although similar, each golden trouser is made as a slightly different size or shape,
representing how people can still remain individuals in a collective.
In between performances, the ways in which the trousers were left arranged
as shells in the space was always different according to how each individual undressed
them there. This formed a continuously shifting landscape of golden trousers, therefore
a constantly changing artwork.
Anna: anna_baumgart@outlook.com, @anna_baumgart

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Anna: I graduated from Fashion design
(Womenswear) at Central Saint Martins,
but I would say my work has always
stemmed from a more fine art based
approach. I work between video,
performance, installation and photography,
but always keeping fashion and garments
as my central ‘medium’ and subject.
I am interested in the social role that
clothing plays in day to day life; how
garments act as the interfaces between the
private body and public realms, mediating
our everyday encounters. Fashion design
can therefore effectively be used to shape
these and explore social concepts.
As opposed to the static flat images
associated with fashion, I am more
interested in the bodily experience
of wearing clothes. Focussing on the active
dialogue between body and garment
in movement, their reciprocal relationship
and impact of touch on one another, I
discover performative moments
and situations.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I feel that this is such a refreshing way
to think about a concept that is not so
outwardly discussed in today’s society,
but is such an imminent part of it.
Raising attention to it through an artistic
discussion is such an interesting way
to vocalise new and varying viewpoints
and understandings of what we consider
this part of human nature to represent.
It is also important that we are
a group of young creatives talking about
this subject, as our generation can bring
a new approach to such topics that are
in need of a fresh outlook.
I find that faith plays an important role
in mine and any artist’s work. Carrying
a belief in one subject that inspires you
so much that you can rigorously devote
your time to researching and exploring
it endlessly, resonates with the way I work
as a form of faith. Sometimes one simple
detail or movement, can inspire a whole
body of work for me.
Furthermore, faith plays an intrinsic
part to my practice as my work is largely
about people, and their social relations
and experiences. Faith is a common
denominator between all social groups,
and something relevant to everybody’s
experience of art.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I think as more uncertainty
and unsettlement is rising in our current
times - socially, politically, environmentally
- to have faith, a strong belief in something,
whatever it is, will become more visibly
important as a way to keep us grounded.
It gives people something to hold on to,
provides hope in the most desperate
of situations, and brings people together
when other things divide them.
79

21
One Zero Zero,
by Alexandra Gribaudi
and Theodore Plytas.
ONE: Photography as surface. A plane that communicates in the same way that walls
reverberate light. That a screen flashes with notifications. Or floorboards lie beneath
steps. Sculpture as space. A protrusion invading dimension like a chair offering its form
to the buttocks. A tree spreading upwards. Or a globe spinning round. Surface. Flat. Space.
Sticks out. Together forming environment. The tree you hug is space. Space between your
outstretched arms. Yet its bark is surface. Surface you press your face against.
Even in the digital they alternate. Flat screen until new link is clicked and the entire
flatness mutates into a space where surfaces juxtapose into digital 3dimentionality.
Photography vertical or horizontal. Presence emanating from surface. Sculpture sitting
or floating. Presence invading space. Photography and sculpture: together what happens?
ZERO: Photography as time. Time as an almost invisible force governing existence.
Time the secret inhabitant of all photographs. Captured right there in the negative.
Printed right there on the paper. Can’t see it? Time is to a photograph the presence
that magnifies with each gaze like the multiplying wrinkles on your face. Sculpture
as faith. Faith the almost invisible force that governs existence. Faith the secret inhabitant
of all sculptures. Captured right there in the welds. Captured right there in the weight.
Can’t see it? Faith is to a sculpture the ultimate productive force like the urge that tonight
might push you to write. To make a 100 photograms and 100 sculptures you need time.
To make a 100 photograms and 100 sculptures you need faith. Time under pressure
appears in the form of making, as faith burns idea to reality. Weld after weld after weld.
Minutes become steel to put their hours down on emulsified paper. Flash light.
Time’s outline captured in black and white.
ZERO: Photography and sculpture together you get space invading surface. You get
surface revealing inner space. You get faith breaking time right open. You get time
underscoring faith. 100 steel sculptures hanging above a 100 photograms of their
shadows. 100 sculptures multiplying in size. An organism multiplying. Space from 1cm
to 1m. 35 meters long. Photograms translate form beyond human logic. Each and every
surface producing a unique pattern. Yet retaining trace of its origin. Surface as
the witness of space. Photography as the witness of sculpture. Witness of an attempted
understanding. 100 attempts to seize the permanently perceived dialogue of surface
and space. Time and faith. Photography and sculpture. Ask a question ONE ZERO ZERO
times. You might not find the answer but you will perceive its intricacy.
Alexandra and Theodore: gribaudiplytas.com, gribaudiplytas@gmail.com, @gribaudiplytas

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Alexandra and Theodore: Our work is
a constellation of photography, sculpture,
installation, drawing, painting. We wish
to propose a reflection into the tumults
of life, a door into a world where energy
can be found in the oddest places, whether
it be in an abandoned building, a rusted
piece of steel or under layers of felt-tip.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
We were drawn to 21st Faith by the
openness of its definition of faith.
We are excited to be part of a conversation
about faith today, in which there are
no pre-defined ideas or categories
to confine or comply to.
Faith is part of all of our lives, yet its
meaning and substance within everyday life
is different for each individual. Even for the
same person faith can be found from one
day to the next in different places.
Faith in Coffee. Faith in God. Faith in
Dancing. Faith in Time. Faith in Walking.
Faith in Art. Faith in Sweating. This is what
we see as so fundamental about Faith.
It is a permanently present force yet
constantly shifting in its meaning.
Faith is crucial to our practice because
without it we could not keep going.
We have faith in Art. We have faith in
Making. Our Faith might not be your faith;
having and transmitting Faith is
what counts.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
We believe faith will continue to play
the role it always has, that it will push
people to be who they are and to fight
for what they believe. Our hope is that 21st
century faith might be open. A faith that
is fluid and capable of changing its mind.
A faith willing to discuss and exchange.
A faith able to argue whilst always
remembering to respect.
83

22
Untitled,
by Kelly Randall.
Preheat oven to 220 C / Gas 7. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and place
in a separate pot along with 200ml water, celery stalk, carrot and herbs. Bring to a boil
and simmer to make turkey stock.
Place the turkey in a roasting tin and starting at the neck of the bird, slide your hand
between the skin and the breast meat to loosen it. Take some of the softened butter
and rub it onto the breast meat (under the skin). Rub some more of the butter over the top
of the skin. Season well with coarse sea salt. Place the 2 lemon halves in the cavity
of the turkey - these will help to keep it moist.
Roast for 30 minutes at 220 C / Gas 7 until golden brown all over, then remove and brush
with softened butter. At this stage, reduce the oven temperature to 180 C / Gas 4,
stuff the cavity with the stuffing of your choice, then cover the breast with tin foil
to prevent further browning.
Continue to baste every 30 to 40 minutes with softened butter or spoon over the turkey
juices from the roasting tin, until the turkey is cooked and the juice from the thickest part
of the leg run clear (about 3 1/2 more hours). Transfer to a serving platter but cover
with foil to keep warm.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice
Kelly: I’m a recent Fine Art graduate
from Central Saint Martins. My practice
is predominantly sculptural, with subject
matter and materiality taking influence
from a range of food practices. By creating
a dialogue between our understanding
of food and the formal aesthetics
of sculpture, I aim to form a sense
of ambiguity that interrogates the symbolic
status of food within art.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Previously I haven’t directly approached
faith within my practice, although I’m aware
it’s an underlying theme of the metaphors
and rituals surrounding food. Taking part in
21st Faith offers the opportunity for me
to interrogate the role that food plays
within faith further, alongside working
collectively with the other participants
to give an insight into what faith means
to young creatives.
Kelly: kelly-randall.com, @smellysandall 85

23
21st Faith,
by The Recollector.
Acknowledging mixing as an independent art form is still on an ongoing path.
Most people do not consider the added value audio mixing can bring to a piece of music.
As arrangement and interpretation can be considered as a creative process in music
production, mixing should be equally recognised. An ear does not process information
in a linear way as our brain does. Ears process music with it’s full spectrum of frequency
at once and has temporary memory in its analytic process. Lots of DJ’s have mentioned
the correlation between volume gradients and crowds reaction: you can play a track
at a different growth level through time and the people that are impacted by it will not
react the same way each time. This has motivated impressive engineering research
towards rotatory mixers and equalizers throughout the years…
Larry Levan was the first man to popularise audio mixing as a specific art form
with his three turntables technique. His legacy is challenged more than ever with the
democratisation of DJing. On one hand, the breakdown of music industry at the end
of the XXth century has forced promoters to book artists with a heavy fan base instead
of DJs to put on a successful show. On the other hand, technical progress has been
helping more young DJs in becoming a simple “human juke-box”, the art of DJing
has been loosing its resonance over time.
This has brought me in pursuing the lost art of mixing through production and DJ
mixes. Using speed shift, un-beatmatched samples, dubs, edits and three to four channels
mixing skills, I have conceptualised my vision of faith in the 21st century in this 40 minute
piece of music.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
The Recollector: I’m first and foremost
a DJ. For me DJing is much more than just
playing other’s music. It’s about mixing,
fusing melodies and atmosphere that are
already very complex into one unique music
momentum. DJing is about telling a story,
making people discovering new music
genres without even feeling that particular
change. It’s about proving that music
has no boundaries of any sorts.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Well the subject first, because Faith
is actually facing a big ideological revolution
at the moment. I’d say that before, Faith
and dogma were bounded and that bound
would not face any doubt. But recently,
it has been taken away from dogma.
Now some people are trying to reattach
it by revisiting the notions of dogma
or simplify the subject by making faith
stand by its own. For me, faith is important
because it gives you a direction and allows
many people to move forward and achieve
things.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I honestly have no idea what role it will
play but I’m confident that it will have a big
influence in our future because faith is
the thing that makes people find a way
and our generation have definitely lost
its way.
The Recollector: soundcloud.com/therecollector 87

24
Human Building Human,
by Leshan Li.
“In the world which everyone’s voice can be heard and everyone’s voice being weakened,
Faith is going to help the individual person place themselves peacefully in their high speed
random unstable lives.”
Once human being steps up from ancient nomadic life, the cultures bloom. Buildings,
in many forms, provide the stability and fertility for human imagination. We human
treasure our thoughts in building. And we let the building educate our offspring.
LeShan explores how the religious space has been spreading into each small part
of private space. As building educate and raise human up, Leshan investigates how
this new pattern of human building relationship creepily insert itself into almost every
private activities of human activities.
How does the building trigger the deepest desires of human? How does the building
build up the moral of human? How does building destruct and restructure the identity
of individual and human species?
Leshan: info@lileshan.com, @loilioli

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Leshan: I am a protestant. I am
a communist. I am a motion designer.
I am Chinese. I am alcoholic. I love J.S.Bach.
I love techno. I am a library of everything
I agreed and disagreed.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
In the world which everyone’s voice can
be heard and everyone’s voice being
weakened, Faith is the going to help
individual person place themselves
peacefully in their high speed random
unstable lives.
21st Faith shows a possibility of developing
and building up strong human characters
in this mass media and internet era.
Faith gives me a comfortable and quite
place to create.
89

25
The Sustainable
Development Goals,
by Iara Monaco.
The theme of the exhibition was to interpret the role of faith in the 21st century.
My response to the brief was inspired by the role the church building had in medieval
Europe where it served as the centre of community activity. The church united the
people of the communities, helped communities grow and develop and made people live
harmoniously together through a shared set of values. I explored whether the Sustainable
Development Goals could represent a new opportunity for all of us to collaborate as one
species and unite behind a relatively simple- yet audacious- set of 17 goals in order to
co-create a thriving sustainable future for all of humanity and all of life.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Iara: I have a background in graphic design
but with a current interest in international
development and humanitarian aid.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
What role do you think faith will play in the
21st century?
We live in an interesting time where
religious fanaticism amongst young people
is diminishing yet at the same time people
are beginning to realise that we long for
something outside ourselves, something
transcendent, something “other” that can’t
be replaced by money, power, or fame.
I was interested in this project as faith is
a topic we don’t get to ponder on often in
a life full of distractions. My approach
to faith focuses on community and a shared
set of values that could potentially unite us
in purpose.
Iara: iaramonaco@gmail.com 91

26
Into-Form,
by Madeleine Duflot & Koa Pham.
‘Into-form’ investigates our relationship with furniture and how to enhance it in order
to build a better lifespan for the pieces and thus shape a better, more responsible future.
Into-form is a sculptural design project around the concept of gestalt: the idea of a form
created by individual parts arranged together and to be seen as a whole rather than as
a sum of its components. Five shapes are at the disposal of the user who has the freedom
to join them together depending on their needs and feelings. Once arranged, we are
looking at an ephemeral and functional sculpture, with every new assembly becoming
a new gestalt. The body/ies interacting with Into-form are turning into additional parts
and fully merge into the whole picture, becoming each time part of a new gestalt.
Purely sculptural, purely functional or playing on both aspects at the same time,
Into-form aims to create an emotional bond between the user and the furniture using art
as a tool. The many possibilities and ephemeral aspect of each creation along with
the interactive and participatory nature of the work should prevent apathy towards
the pieces of furniture and raise creativity and emotions instead, enabling a connection
to blossom between subject and object over time and thus a better lifespan for the latter.
Into-form is not a chair, not a sofa, not a daybed, not an armchair… It is none but all at the
same time! Into-form is very modular with endless possible configurations and aims
to enhance and embrace the user’s freedom at its best.
Into-form has faith in an emotional bond to exist and to be empowered thanks
to its modularity, its co-designing aspect and its artistic dimension.
Madeleine and Koa started working on the project in May 2017, developed the first
prototype and came up with the name ‘Ilco’ - ‘il’ meaning ‘he’ in French and ‘co’ meaning
‘she’ in Vietnamese. In August 2017 Ania joined the team and together they are now
working on developing the project further.
Madeleine and Koa: hello.ilco.design@gmail.com, @ilco_design

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Madeleine: We are aiming to merge art
and design together to create sculptural
design pieces, in order to enable
a greater connection to be built between
the furniture and the user. We are using art
as a tool and inviting it to fully take part in
our everyday life.
Koa: I’m Koa Pham, 24 years old. I graduated
BA product design at Central Saint Martins
in 2016.
As a designer with a wide palette, I
have experienced working on different
types of projects, from phone applications,
props and jewellery to art installations and
furniture design. My practice mainly focuses
on solving issues, therefore an object will be
designed to create a new user experience
which will be a solution to a problem.
In addition, I also want to combine art
and design together, to create an emotional
dialogue, which features products that have
distinguish aesthetic and specific functions.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
M: Our practice is thus somehow
relying on faith; we are having faith in
a better and stronger relationship between
the subject and the object, which would
increase the lifespan of the latter. We
believe it is an important issue today in
order to reduce waste
and overconsumption.
K: While we were working on Into-Form,
Madeleine realised the furniture piece was
actually relevant to the 21st Faith project.
Faith is very important to me
and my practice. As Rei Kawakubo once
said “without that impetus of creation,
progress is not possible”. Faith is
a motivation that pushes me forward, to
design and create my objects. Personally,
I believe that Faith starts with intuition,
then it is getting stronger by time when
our intuition embraces with insights and
knowledge.
93

27
Will you act on it?,
by Rebecca Lardeur.
Why don’t we act on climate change and why don’t we take it seriously? This is a wicked
question I can’t get my mind around. The answer is so plural that it is a bit like quantum
science, everytime you look at it, it has changed and the need to adapt, expand
and transform is all that is left.
To start answering the question I chose my mum as my case study. She was raised
in a city, now lives comfortably, enjoys organic food and a periodic walk in the forest.
She does not want the planet to decay, but does not act neither to change the status quo.
She is unaware of the unintended consequences of the materials or resources used in her
everyday routine, which I learned through design studies. She does not think her personal
impact can be of any value. Recycling seems frivolous to her, as a lie told by society to
keep calm. But, was it true? Can small actions really make no difference? Taking recycling
as an example, does the power of the group has really no effect?
To me, waste is only an unrealised potential. For this project I wanted to express my
perception of waste and visualise what collective action can do. The piece asked the
passer-by to glue on it the waste they had in their pockets, and the last day of the show
everyone was invited to paint over the piece to give a new life to the accumulated waste.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Rebecca: I am a designer interested
in the subjects of social exchanges,
physical action and play. My ongoing work
researches beliefs systems and how
it influences our relationship and actions
towards nature.
I am currently studying
a postgraduate programme in Information
Experience Design.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I started 21st Faith out of a desire to
question this notion of ‘Faith’ while being
fully aware of the need of the project
to grow organically and with diverse point
of views, united.
Faith, and beliefs, are the basis
of knowledge and what humans hold to be
‘true’ or ‘trustworthy’. It guides so many of
us, can’t we now be objective on subjective
matters? This is what we’re trying to
do with 21st Faith. Growing together.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I believe it will be as strong as ever. There
is no reason for the human race to suddenly
lose this aspect of feeling in the everyday.
The question to me, is, can we speak about
it or is it taboo? Can we share and can
we grow? To investigate Faith in the 21st
century in order to harness its opportunities
for this new technology-dominated age.
Rebecca: rbk.graphics, @rbkldr 95

28
The Hive,
by Chantal Gagnon.
Today we see people addicted to social media and obsessively keep track of celebrities.
The celebrity morphed into the new God that people follow, mimic and learn from.
I have always been interested in people’s obsession with the Kardashian’s, especially
Kim Kardashian West. Starting from a modest number of followers on MySpace,
Kim Kardashian West has managed to collect an obsessive and loyal mass fan base,
whom have sky rocketed her fame, power, influence and wealth. Her fans will defend
her from haters, fule her success by buying her products, shower her with gifts,
watch all her interviews and read all the articles on her, all in the name to feel closer
to their Goddess, Kim Kardashian West.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Chantal: My name is Chantal Gagnon.
I am a Canadian creative who studied
graphic design and media at LCC.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I think the media and celebrity will dictate
and manipulate people’s faith. The groupie
or fan club will be the new congregation,
and people like Kardashian’s, Beyoncé
and Trump will be the new gods.
Rebecca’s magnetic personality drew me
in to take part in 21st Faith.
I have always been interested in cult culture
and people with hypnotic personalities.
I find it fascinating how people can put all
their faith into one person and have this
person or the idea of the person dictate
and influence the decisions we make
and the paths we take.
Chantal: gagnonbc.com, gagnonbc@gmail.com 97

29
Look What They’ve Done
To My Song,
by Sam McDermott
& Nik Rawlings.
The concept for this project came to Nik and Sam when they were discussing
the similarities and differences in religious upbringings. They discovered that although
they both came from the Anglican church, they experienced the church differently,
where one was more conservative and the other more liberal. They found in each other
similar feelings attributed to the worship.
The focal point of their involvement with the church was focused on the musical aspects.
They wanted to approach 21st Faith asking whether musicians in the church performed
for their own personal gratification as a performer or to worship the higher power.
While developing the project, Sam and Nik went to interview members of the church
and worship team. Through this process, they discovered that there was a significant
element of personal gratification through being in a position of performance. Whilst the
focal point of the church and music was to lead people to worship God, there was an open
recognition of the members involved in the band that they received stimulation from
performing in front of the congregation and noticing positive responses to their actions.
Following these discoveries, the sonic piece that Sam and Nik created had to reflect
their similarities and differences between their church based performance experiences.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Sam: I am a born and raised Londoner
who always been interested in music.
When this piece was created, my practice
primarily focused on the curation of artists
performance. I am now more interested
in set design and building.
Nik: I am a sound artist, dj and writer,
having started life singing in a cathedral
in the West Country.
My practice focuses on vocal networks
and mutable sonic bodies.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
S: Through Rebecca I took part in this
project. Faith to me now is separated from
religion and is defined by believing that
you can achieve what you want to do.
N: Faith spaces play a looming role
in my creative memory. The opportunity
to explore the power dynamics at play
within those spaces as a musician was
a great chance to explore and exorcise
some ghosts.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
S: As religion becomes more and
more diluted, Faith will become less
institutionalised and more personalised.
N: I can only speak personally, but faith
to me means simply not giving up against
unreasonable odds. And I feel like most
millennial artists have to rely heavily
on that kind of faith.
Sam: @666midwife / Nik: ni-ku.net, nik@ni-ku.net, @n_i_kuu
99

30
Untitled,
by Abi Moffat.
Faith to me, implies hope or trust in a system or belief.
I place faith, everyday, in the act of painting as a therapeutic process.
I travel through various states of ambiguity on a daily basis and my work captures
an element of this in a physical form.
Through abstract aesthetics, loose shapes, and varied layers, I play with the subconscious
mind of the viewer, to let them interpret their own meaning from the ambiguous imagery.
I explore the juxtaposition between light and dark, the use of rich colour to evoke
an emotive response.
With the possibilities available via the internet alongside digital art, film and so on,
it seems that the act of painting has been given over by many artists in favour of self
indulgent, disposable images.
Faith can inspire a resurgence in a craft. It is important to me to preserve painting’s
ongoing place in contemporary culture, through personifying paint
and its material qualities.
Abi: abimoffat.com, abigailkmoffat@gmail.com, @abimoffat

21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Abi: Abi graduated with a degree in Fine Art
at Leeds College of Art in June 2013,
where she was selected as winner
of the annual ex-student show.
Now based in London, she is
represented by Saatchi Art. Her paintings
sell internationally, and she has completed
a number of public commissions, working
with the likes of TfL and Leeds City Council.
Abi also works as editorial assistant and
assistant copy editor for The Saatchi Gallery
Magazine: Art & Music.
Abi works with acrylic paint
and varnish as her prime materials.
She works with no pre-conceived aesthetic
in mind, subconsciously creating her
paintings by layering through spontaneous
and expressive gestures; enabling
an organic process to her work.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I was drawn to 21st Faith due to my passion
and dedication to develop my practice,
whilst collaborating with other artists
to combine ideas and concepts in a variety
of media. I also look forward to presenting
these ideas as a group within an exhibition
space and to appeal to a varied audience.
Faith as a theme, can take on many
forms. As an abstract painter I aim to
interpret such themes in an ambiguous
way, keeping the subject loose and elusive
for the viewer, but also keeping it in
the forefront of my mind as I apply paint
to the surface. Faith to me, implies hope
and trust in a system or belief and this is
something I experiment with through
the use of colour and the juxtaposition
between light and dark on a surface.
101

31
Feiern,
by Nico Limo.
“In this piece I seek out to explore the inter-sectional symbolism between religion
and club culture, two topics who at first sight seem to reject each other. Despite their
differences there are undeniable similarities between the two. The ritual of 3 is constantly
reoccurring, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, communion smoke the blood of Christ,
a fag a tipple and a bit of medicine.
I was inspired by going out in Berlin and how people quickly treat it like a spiritual
experience. I’ve always told people going out in London is more intense than Berlin
and I’m constantly greeted by responses telling me surely that can’t be right. As clubs
close early in London people have a shorter time to go out, they chug 5 beers in an hour
and its a competition to see who can get the most fucked up. In Berlin however, clubs
and bars almost never close. People are more about stamina and seeing who can last the
longest. When you’re spending this much time in a space, doing a huge amount of drugs,
it definately brings you to a different mind frame both physically and spiritually.
Many people become sober or straight edge because of this.“
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Nico: I am a Graphic Designer according
to a couple of pieces of paper the
university has given me but see myself as
an obsessive constant maker. I grew up
wanting to be an “Artist” but thought job
wise Graphic Design would give me more
opportunity. So far it kinda seems like I’ve
been getting way more recognition as an
image maker (I dislike the term artist) than
a Graphic Designer. I also design clothing!
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
Rebecca’s a friend of a couple of people
I know. They insisted I contact her and I was
already a huge fan of her project before.
I’ve grown up in Methodist schools all from
the age of 3 - 16, the traditional Christian
faith left an odd impression on me because
my family was never Christian to begin
with! They’re Buddhists and growing up
I felt like an outsider. 21st Faith appealed
to me because they explored faith in a way
modern contemporary way which I could
relate/understand. Faith is important to
me and my practice because as an early
graduate I am usually doing a lot of work
for little or no money and because of this
it is important to actually believe in
your work and yourself.
What role do you think faith will play in
the 21st century?
I hope people will recognise organised
religion is extremely toxic especially since
any kind of faith is looking at provoking
thought. Organised religion really doesn’t
promote that. I think we can all agree
the world is almost coming to an end
and hopefully people will return to pure
types of faith. Faith not looking to praise
an entity / have idols / gods but rather faith
in the human spirit.
Nico: nicolimo.com, excitementdesigner@gmail.com, @nico.limo 103

32
Study of my Calathea
and a Talisman, Milagros,
by Tess Rees.
In response to 21st Faith’s themes, I started to look at the process of collecting symbolic
items as sentimental charms collecting items as self affirmation and self affirmation
as an alternative to prescribed religion. Spiritual symbols, charms, milagros daily charms
around the house that form a process of nurturing oneself.
A practice as that looks at what ‘self healing’ is today in conversation with
the pastel-hued social media ‘wellness’ we see constantly and asking how we can provide
alternative visuals for self-healing in the present.
An appearance of instability and constant production within the work
is the ongoing process of a woman’s need to write a narrative of her own.
I have been especially interested in processes of self healing as an alternative
to religion. Especially for young women turned off by the traditional values that religion
expects you to abide by.
21st Faith: Tell us about you and your
practice.
Tess: I use an appearance of instability
and constant production within my work
alludes to the on going process of
a woman’s need to write a narrative of
her own. I take the woman from outside
the manmade conglomeration of symbolic
systems and place her in the forefront.
I create multi dimensional imagery
to interrogate the issues that arise from the
fragmented body and identity of a woman
- A fragmentation that occurs as a result of
the woman often being identified as ‘other’
throughout history. I use this uncomfortable
sense of disjunction to my advantage
to create unnerving and corporeal works.
What drew you to take part in 21st Faith?
How is faith important to you and your
practice?
I have recently been conducting my
practice as pseudo-scientific enquiry
that looks at what ‘self healing’ is today.
Recently my work has been in conversation
with the pastel-hued social media ‘wellness’
we see constantly and ask how we can
provide alternative visuals and/or items
for self-healing in the present.
Recently, I have been especially interested
in processes of self healing as an alternative
to religion. Especially for young women
turned off by the traditional values
that religion expects you to abide by.
Placed I have exhibited: Central Saint
Martins, The Barbican, Palais de Tokyo,
Earl’s Court Arts Hub, Brainchild Festival.
Tess: tessrees.com, @tess_rees 105

Behind the
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